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ITALY 


THE  SPELL  OF  TYROL 


THE   SPELL  SERIES 


Each  volume  wilh  one  or  more  colored  plates  and 
many  illustrations  from  original  drawings  or  special 
photographs.  Octaoo,  with  decorative  cover,  gilt 
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Per  volume  $2.50  net,  carriage  paid  $2.70 


THE   SPELL   OF   ITALY 
By  Caroline  cAtwater  c^Vlason 

THE    SPELL   OF   FRANCE 
By  Caroline  cAtwater  oTWason 

THE    SPELL   OF   ENGLAND 
By  Julia  de  W.  cAddison 

THE   SPELL   OF  HOLLAND 
By  Burton  E.  Stevenson 

THE    SPELL   OF   SWITZERLAND 
By  Nathan  Haskell  Dole 

THE  SPELL  OF  THE  ITALIAN  LAKES 
By  William  D.  cTWcCrackan 

THE  SPELL  OF  TYROL 
By  William  D.  cTWcCrackan 


THE   PAGE   COMPANY 
53  BEACON    STREET,  BOSTON,  MASS. 


KITZBUHEL 

Down  over  the  edge  from  where  we 
stand,  lies  Kitzbuhel,  the  town." 
(See  page  70.) 


SPELL 
TYROL 


William  D.  McCrackan 

Author  of    "The  Spell  of  the  Italian  Lakes,**   "Rom 
and  Teutonic  Switzerland,"  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED 

from  photographs  andh  original  paintings 'by 

Woldemat  Itier 


*         1 


\ 



BOSTON 

THE  PAGE  COMPANY 

MDCCCCXIV 

== 

I'     -J 


Copyright,  1903 
BY  L.  C.  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

(INCORPORATED) 
/*//  rights  reserved 


Published,  April,  1905 
Third  Impression,  April,  1907 
Foutth;  ^rnpreision,  March,  1911 
New  £d»tibn*,  Ajnil,  1914 


THE  COLONIAL  PRESS 
C.  H.  8IMOND8  ft  CO.,  BOSTON,  U.  S.  A. 


THIS 

BOOK    IS    DEDICATED 
TO    MY    DEAR    BROTHER 

ffiefc.  Joijn  J^  J&cCracfcan 

A    LOVER    OF    THE    TYROL 
AND    ITS    PEOPLE 


334249 


Some  of  the  material  contained  in  this  book 
has  already  appeared  in  various  periodicals: 
"  Frescoes  of  Runkelstein  "  in  Harper  s  Monthly 
Magazine ;  "  The  Sette  Comuni"  in  The  Bul- 
letin of  the  American  Geographical  Society ; 
"  Andreas  Hofer "  in  the  New  England 
Magazine ;  and  "  Toy  Town  and  Toy  Land" 
and  "  Trent "  in  The  Churchman. 

I  take  this  opportunity  of  thanking  the  editors 
of  the  foregoing  publications  for  permission  to 
reprint. 

My  thanks  are  also  due  to  the  Curator  of 
the  Ferdinandeum  at  Innsbruck  for  kindly  and 
courteous  assistance  and  to  Miss  Charlotte  H. 
Coursen,  of  New  York,  for  the  use  of  her  Col- 
lection of  Tyroliana. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


PUBLISHER'S   NOTE 

THE  favour  accorded  to  the  re-issue  of  Mr.  Will- 
iam D.  McCrackan's  THE  SPELL  OF  THE  ITALIAN 
LAKES  has  led  the  publishers  to  believe  that  a  new 
and  enlarged  edition,  with  illustrations  in  colour, 
of  Mr.  McCrackan's  equally  popular  THE  FAIR 
LAND  TYROL  will  meet  with  a  similar  cordial  recep- 
tion. 

Like  its  predecessor,  the  re-issue  is  included  in 
the  well-known  SPELL  SERIES  of  travel  books,  and 
for  this  reason  the  title  has  been  changed  to  THE 
SPELL  OF  TYROL. 


FOREWORD 

IN  writing  about  a  land  and  people  the  first 
thing  needful  is  to  bring  appreciation  and 
affection  to  the  task.  It  is  well  to  be  able  to 
discriminate  in  a  kindly  manner  between  the 
transitory  idiosyncrasies  of  men  and  things 
and  their  enduring  qualities;  it  is  admirable 
to  set  aside  the  grotesque  and  the  fantastical 
in  behalf  of  the  good,  the  true,  and  the  beauti- 
ful ;  it  is  wise  to  be  always  just  in  estimating 
motives  and  acts;  but  it  is  more  important 
still  to  admire  and  to  write  from  the  heart 
rather  than  from  the  head  only. 

No  one  can  travel  and  tour  in  the  Tyrol,  see 
its  glorious  scenery,  enjoy  the  hospitality  of  its 
inns,  receive  the  pleasant  deference,  and  hear 
the  warm-hearted  sentiments  of  its  inhabitants, 
without  learning  to  love  both  land  and  people. 

It  is  the  province  of  this  book  to  praise,  to 
repay  in  a  measure  the  friendly  reception 
which  was  everywhere  accorded  the  writer, 
to  wish  good  speed  and  long  life  to  all  the 


Foreword 

dwellers  in  that  greatly  blessed  and  beautiful 
country,  as  well  as  to  help  the  foreign  way- 
farer to  a  true  understanding  and  full  enjoy- 
ment of  that  happy  land  Tyrol. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  writer  to  at- 
tempt any  profound  analysis  of  things  Tyro- 
lese,  but  merely  to  set  down  here  some  of  the 
characteristics  which  impress  the  visitor  upon 
crossing  the  frontier.  A  change  is  apparent 
in  men  and  manners,  in  habits  and  customs,  in 
the  speech,  the  dress,  and  the  very  carriage  of 
the  people.  The  scenery  may  not  differ 
greatly  from  that  of  the  rest  of  the  Alps, 
the  mountains,  the  torrents,  and  the  forests 
may  resemble  each  other,  the  very  houses  may 
look  like  those  of  Switzerland,  Bavaria,  and 
other  highland  districts,  still  at  the  frontier 
of  the  Tyrol  a  subtile  change  takes  place  in 
the  general  mental  atmosphere,  and  this 
mental  change  translates  itself  naturally  into 
visible  differences  and  outward  acts. 

In  the  Tyrol,  men,  women,  and  children 
display  a  great  fondness  for  greens  of  all 
shades,  from  yellow  to  grass  and  brown- 
greens.  Especially  is  green  the  favourite 
colour  for  hats,  but  in  many  villages  also  for 
braids,  embroideries,  and  other  ornaments. 
While  the  men  of  Meran  wear  broad  green 

vi 


Foreword 

suspenders,  at  Lienz  even  green  woollen  trou- 
sers may  be  seen. 

The  moment  you  enter  the  country,  you  will 
also  notice  feathers  on  the  hats,  —  generally 
the  short,  curly  ones  of  the  blackcock,  or 
straight,  defiant,  eagle's  quills,  but  often 
ordinary,  every-day  feathers,  dropped  by  the 
barn-yard  fowl.  Strolling  singers  from  the 
Zillerthal  or  the  Salzkammergut  usually  dis- 
play drooping  white  feathers,  .that  make  a 
wide  sickle  sweep  at  the  back  of  the  head. 

The  ornament  known  as  the  Gamsbart,  or 
beard  of  the  chamois,  is  not  strictly  a  beard 
at  all.  In  winter,  namely,  the  hair  of  the 
chamois  grows  long  and  thick  over  the  spine; 
this  is  cut  off  by  the  hunters,  bunched  together 
and  worn  at  the  back  of  the  hat,  side  by  side 
with  the  feather.  The  taller  the  tuft,  the 
prouder  the  hunter. 

The  Rucksack  is  another  distinctive  posses- 
sion of  the  Tyrolese,  and  their  neighbours  in 
the  Eastern  Alps.  It  is  a  simple  loose  sack 
of  canvas,  which  hangs  from  the  shoulders 
by  straps,  and  settles  in  the  small  of  the  back 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  distribute  the  weight 
to  the  best  possible  advantage.  Its  colour,  of 
course,  is  green. 

The  Tyrolese  commonly  harness  one  horse 
vii 


Foreword 

to  a  carriage  made  for  two.  This  may  be 
noticed  even  of  the  cabs  in  Innsbruck.  When 
two  horses  are  used  the  custom  prevails  of 
passing  an  extra  rein  from  the  bit  of  the  horse 
on  the  right  hand  to  the  whiffletree  of  the 
horse  on  the  left.  The  explanation  given  is 
that  the  stronger  horse  is  always  placed  on 
the  right,  and  this  check  is  intended  to  equal- 
ize the  drawing-power  of  the  two  horses. 

Not  the  least  interest  which  attaches  to  the 
Tyrolese  and  their  neighbours,  is  due  to  their 
speech.  A  common  characteristic,  is  the 
broadening  of  the  a  until  it  becomes  almost 
oa,  e.  g.,  in  Wasser  the  a  is  pronounced  as  in 
our  English  "  water."  This  pronunciation 
is  noticeable  throughout  the  German-speaking 
portions  of  the  Austrian  empire,  as  well  as  in 
parts  of  Bavaria.  Other  vowels  are  modified 
in  a  similar  manner,  e.  g.,  in  the  Zillerthal  u 
becomes  u,  and  o,  o,  so  that  du  is  pronounced 
du,  and  so,  so. 

A  peculiarity  is  the  use  of  plural  endings 
when  the  singular  is  meant;  a  man  will  order 
." eine  Flaschen  Bier"  at  the  inn;  the  con- 
ductor shouts  at  the  small  stations,  "  eine 
Minuten." 

The  Tyrolese  are  ever  ready  to  add  a  dimin- 
utive erl  to  their  words  in  token  of  affection. 

viii 


Foreword 

In  the  mouths  of  educated  people,  Austrian 
German  becomes  truly  charming.  Such 
dialect  expressions  as  "  gehn's"  or  "  gebn's 
her  "  possess  a  certain  quality  which  the  nice- 
ties of  mere  literary  language  do  not  give. 

In  eating,  it  is  well  to  remember  that, 
off  the  beaten  track,  the  Tyrol  is  not  the 
land  of  table  d'hote  dinners.  The  Crown 
Land  possesses  many  splendid  hotels  with 
such  dinners,  but  Austrians  eat  somewhat 
more  frequently  than  we  do,  though  not 
necessarily  more.  With  them  it  is  appar- 
ently a  habit  of  "  little  and  often."  You  order 
what  you  want  from  a  bill  of  fare,  which  is 
often  signed  by  the  host  with  an  engaging 
"  respectfully  yours."  A  very  pretty  expres- 
sion is  the  Wunsch  gut  zu  speisen,  "  Wish  you 
may  eat  well,"  which  is  commonly  said  to  you 
as  the  soup  is  brought  in.  When  you  have 
finished,  you  must  call  for  the  Zahl  Kellner, 
or  Kellnerin,  the  pay  waiter  or  waitress,  as 
the  case  may  be,  who  alone  is  authorized  to 
receive  payment.  You  are  expected  to  dictate 
what  you  have  had  to  eat,  while  the  pay- 
waiter  jots  down  the  items  and  renders  the 
bill. 

There  are  certain  gradations  in  many  a 
well-ordered  Austrian  hotel  or  restaurant 

ix 


Foreword 

which  present  novel  features.  After  the  pay- 
waiter,  in  the  family  of  waiters,  come  the 
Speisentrager,  or  carriers  of  the  viands.  Then 
comes  a  curious  little  specimen  of  humanity 
called  facetiously  the  Piccolo,  a  boy  in  ap- 
prenticeship, between  eight  and  fourteen 
years  old.  He  wears  a  dress  suit  like  his 
superiors,  and  carries  the  less  weighty  orders. 

This  elaborate  order  will  not  be  found  in 
the  country  inns,  nor  in  the  higher  placed 
summer  resorts,  but  a  warm-hearted  welcome, 
and  the  kindliest  of  attentions  await  the  way- 
farer and  sojourner  at  every  point  in  the 
country.  Much  old-fashioned  hospitality  and 
many  pleasant  old  world  ways  attract  the 
tourist  and  call  forth  responsive  feelings  of 
gratitude  toward  the  Tyrolese.  This  friendly 
attitude  on  the  part  of  the  people  constitutes 
a  truly  valuable  possession,  and  by  its  results 
adds  much  to  their  popularity  and  general 
welfare. 

The  tourist  can  do  much  to  make  travel 
agreeable  and  profitable  by  meeting  the  Tyro- 
lese at  least  half-way  in  their  pleasant  manners 
and  their  simple  overtures  toward  friendship. 
Nothing  but  mutual  benefit  can  come  from  a 
trip  in  the  Tyrol,  undertaken  under  such 
circumstances,  and  lasting  good  should  surely 

x 


Foreword 

result  from  the  inspiration  which  the  moun- 
tains shed  broadcast  over  the  traveller's  stay 
in  the  Tyrol. 

A  breath  of  exalting  power  passes  from 
range  to  range.  Exquisite  colours  continue  a 
constant  interplay  upon  the  mountain  flanks, 
from  the  sombre  bases  to  the  topmost  peaks 
of  wrhite.  The  torrents  flow  swift  and  gray 
from  the  glaciers  into  the  lower  valleys, 
where,  purified  by  their  headlong  struggle, 
they  gleam  clear  and  clean  under  the  sun.  It 
is  they  which  feed  the  transparent  lakes  of 
green  and  blue  that  fill  the  pockets  of  the 
Alps,  and  make  up  their  gems  and  jewelry. 

Within  the  sweet-scented  forests  of  the 
lower  slopes,  the  hares,  squirrels,  and  some 
lesser  game  birds  seek  shelter  and  protection. 
On  the  timber  line  the  splendid  blackcock 
flies,  while  beyond  the  utmost  trees,  on  green 
oases,  watered  by  the  melting  of  snow,  the 
chamois  graze  on  the  watch,  and  the  marmot 
colonies  dig  their  holes.  Up  there  the 
stretches  of  grass  are  brilliant  with  clusters 
of  vivid  blue  gentians,  the  slopes  rejoice  in 
the  friendly  red  of  the  alpine  roses,  massed 
against  green  hillsides  in  ordered  rows,  or 
bordering  the  sharp  edges  of  the  crags  like 
decorative  hedges.  On  bare  summits,  and 

xi 


Foreword 

beside  the  abrupt  precipices,  the  edelweiss, 
hiding  from  the  curiosity  seeker,  imitates  the 
limestone  and  the  granite  with  its  inconspicu- 
ous gray  and  buff. 

Between  the  timber  line  and  the  perpetual 
snow  line  lie  the  thrice-blessed  summer  pas- 
tures, carpeted  for  many  thousand  cattle. 
The  summer  pasture,  known  in  the  Eastern 
Alps  as  the  aim-,  and  in  Switzerland  as  the 
alp,  is  a  world  apart,  with  occupations,  man- 
ners and  customs,  joys  and  sorrows,  songs  and 
sayings,  and  men  and  women  of  its  own. 

Perchance,  after  the  sights  of  the  lower 
valleys  have  been  visited  and  praised,  the  call 
to  mount  higher  will  come,  and  other  sights 
and  sounds  will  please  and  fill  out  the  memory 
of  your  trip  in  the  Tyrol  with  the  tinkling  of 
bells,  the  smile  of  flowery  slopes,  and  the 
peace  and  serenity  of  this  upper  world  of  the 
earth. 

One  of  the  many  charms  of  the  Alps  con- 
sists in  their  intimate  appeal  to  the  affections. 
With  all  their  grandeur  and  immensity,  in 
spite  of  their  perils  and  difficulties,  the  Alps 
invite  a  closer  and  kindlier  memory  by  reason 
of  the  presence  of  man  and  the  signs  of  man's 
activity  throughout  their  length  and  breadth. 
No  recess  seems  too  secluded  or  remote,  no 

xii 


Foreword 

slope  too  steep,  no  corner  too  abrupt,  and  no 
fleck  of  grass  too  tiny  to  escape  the  mountain 
craft  of  the  alpine  dwellers.  Even  the  per- 
petual snow  can  no  longer  exclude  the  rail- 
road, the  shelter  hut  and  the  observatory. 

Casual  visitors  must  be  impressed  with  this 
happy  characteristic,  and  for  the  student  and 
lover  of  the  Alps  it  forms  a  striking  feature 
to  be  long  remembered. 

The  valleys  are  cultivated  with  utmost 
minuteness,  and  in  small  patches,  so  that  their 
variegated  crops  present  an  aspect  of  singular 
picturesqueness. 

The  forests  are  tended  with  special  care, 
because  they  form  a  screen  against  the  high 
lying  masses  of  snow  in  winter,  and  afford  a 
partial  shelter  against  the  avalanches. 

The  rivers,  torrents,  and  brooks  are  as  com- 
pletely as  possible  controlled  with  stone 
sluiceways,  breakwaters,  and  guards. 

The  summer  pastures,  offering  grazing- 
ground  for  the  cattle  during  fully  half  the 
year,  are  preserved  and  nourished  almost  as 
industriously  as  the  hay-fields  in  the  lower  val- 
leys. On  many  an  aim  the  loose  stones  which 
have  splintered  away  and  rolled  down  from 
above  are  gathered  into  heaps,  and  thus  new 


Xlll 


Foreword 

ground  won  for  the  sprouting  grass  and  the 
sweet  flowers. 

Elsewhere  the  rivulets  and  brooks  from  the 
melting  snow  are  guided  over  the  slopes  in 
miniature  canals,  and  made  to  irrigate  the 
fields. 

Great  industry  and  tireless  activity  is  appar- 
ent in  the  Alps,  and  the  traveller  cannot  fail 
to  admire  the  results  in  enhanced  productions 
and  beauty. 

What  shall  be  said  of  the  alpine  dwellings? 
What  adequate  return  can  be  made  by  the 
traveller  for  the  sight  of  cozy  cottages,  pictur- 
esque and  high-perched  against  the  sombre 
scenery  of  rocks  and  ravines?  Who  can 
measure  the  gratitude  due  to  the  pioneers  who 
penetrated  into  the  primeval  forests  in  the 
centuries  long  passed,  cut  their  clearings  for 
the  hungry  cattle  and  the  rude  crops,  over- 
came the  wild  beasts  in  their  lairs  and  the 
eagles  in  their  eyries,  laid  out  the  first  zig- 
zags up  the  frowning  slopes  and  over  the 
connecting  saddles  and  mountain  passes,  and 
built  the  primitive  timbered  huts,  which  have 
formed  the  basis  of  alpine  architecture  pretty 
much  over  the  whole  range  from  Styria  to 
Savoy. 

The  general  tendency  in  the  Alps  is  to  build 
xiv 


Foreword 

in  wood  where  the  forests  are  abundant  and 
best  preserved.  The  wooden  house  is  also 
found  principally  in  the  Teutonic  portions 
of  the  Alps,  the  stone  house  generally  betray- 
ing the  nearness  of  Romance  influences. 

In  the  Tyrol  the  house  built  entirely  of 
wood  is  not  as  often  seen  as,  for  instance,  in  the 
Bernese  Oberland  in  Switzerland,  at  least 
the  substructure  and  the  first  story  of  the 
Tyrolese  house  being  generally  built  of  stone 
and  mortar,  and  mural  paintings  of  historical 
and  ethical  interest  abound  throughout  the 
Crown  Land. 

In  Italian-speaking  Tyrol,  wooden  houses 
disappear  almost  entirely  except  in  such  dis- 
tricts as  that  of  Auronzo,  where  noble  forests 
and  wood  in  plenty  lie  close  at  hand  for  build- 
ing purposes.  But  the  Tyrol  surpasses  the  rest 
of  the  Alps  in  its  array  of  castles,  which  smile 
or  frown  from  crag  and  plateau  in  brilliant 
and  bewildering  array. 

Thus,  even  to  the  robber  knights  of  old, 
some  thanks  are  due  from  tourist  and  traveller 
for  their  good  taste  in  selecting  apt  and  noble 
sites  for  their  dwellings. 

Then  let  the  journey  in  the  land  Tyrol  be 
punctuated  with  words  and  works  of  genuine 
appreciation  for  the  good,  the  true,  and  the 

xv 


Foreword 

beautiful,  so  greatly  in  evidence  on  peak  and 
plain.  May  good-will  pervade,  and  fraternal 
fellow-feeling  mark  the  traveller's  days,  so 
that  in  the  retrospect  the  memories  evoked 
may  radiate  health  and  happiness  and  a 
pardonable  desire  to  return  and  revisit. 


xvi 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I.  INNSBRUCK  —  AN  ALPINE  CAPITAL 

II.  THE   HOFKIRCHE  —  TYROL'S  WESTMINSTER 

ABBEY          

III.  MAXIMILIAN  —  THE  LAST  OF  THE  KNIGHTS 

(1459-1519) 

IV.  ROUND  ABOUT  INNSBRUCK    .... 
V.  PHILIPPINE  WELSER  (1527-1580) 

VI.  THE    VORARLBERG    APPROACH 

VII.  DOWN  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  INN 

VIII.  KITZBUHEL — LIFE  ON  THE  ALM  . 

IX.     THE  ACHENSEE 

X.      THE   ZlLLERTHAL 

XI.  OVER  THE  BRENNER  PASS    .... 

XII.      THE    PUSTERTHAL 

XIII.  FRANZ  VON  DEFREGGER  :  PAINTER  OF  THE 

PEOPLE        

XIV.  BRIXEN 

XV.    THE  GRODEN  VALLEY 

XVI.     Two  MINNESINGERS 

XVII.     THE  BASIN  OF  BOZEN 

XVIII.  THE  ROSENGARTEN  —  A  GARDEN  OF  ROSES 

XIX.  THE  FRESCOES  OF  RUNKELSTEIN 

XX.  MERAN,  THE  ANCIENT  CAPITAL  OF  TYROL 

XXI.  ANDREAS  HOFER  (1767- 1809) 

XXII.  THE  VINTSGAU 


PAGE 

3 


21 

32 

39 
45 
53 
68 
76 
80 
89 
97 


128 
134 
143 
157 
167 
177 
186 
197 
217 


XVll 


Contents 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXIII.  ABOVE  THE  SNOW  LINE     .        .        .        .223 

XXIV.  THE  ORTLER:    THE  HIGHEST  MOUNTAIN 

IN  THE  TYROL 227 

XXV.     TRENT 239 

XXVI.     DANTE  IN  THE  TRENTINO  .        .        .        .  247 

XXVII.     VALSUGANA 256 

XXVIII.     THE  SETTE  COMUNI  :     A  TEUTONIC  SUR- 
VIVAL ON  ITALIAN  SOIL          .        .        .  264 

XXIX.    THE  DOLOMITES 278 

XXX.    A  STRING  OF  PEARLS:    PRIMOLANO,  PRI- 
MIERO,     PANEVEGGIO,    PREDAZZO,    AND 

PERRA 284 

XXXI.     CORTINA  Di  AMPEZZO        ....  296 

XXXII.     FROM  CORTINA  TO  PIEVE  Di  CADORE      .  301 

XXXIII.     To  CORVARA 308 


XVlll 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

KITZBUHEL  (in  full  colour)  (see  page  70)    .      Frontispiece 

THE  FRAU  HITT  -  SPITZE 5 

INNSBRUCK 6 

INNSBRUCK:    ARCH  OF  MARIA  THERESA  —  HOUSE 

OF  THE  GOLDEN  ROOF 8 

THE  KALKKOGEL,  NEAR  INNSBRUCK  (in  full  colour)  14 
STATUE  OF  KING  ARTHUR  OF  ENGLAND  IN  INNS- 
BRUCK         16 

STATUE  OF  THEODORIC  IN  INNSBRUCK     .       .       .  18 
MARBLE  TABLET  ON  TOMB  OF  MAXIMILIAN  IN  INNS- 
BRUCK         26 

VlEW  FROM  THE  WEIHERBURG 32 

STATUE  OF  ANDREAS  HOFER  ON  BERG  ISEL    .       .  34 

CASTLE  AMBRAS 37 

THE  VORARLBERG  MOUNTAINS 45 

LANDECK 50 

MiJNZERTHURM  IN  HALL $6 

THE  LIVING  -  ROOM  IN  THE  CASTLE  OF  TRATZBERG  65 

HOUSE  IN  BRIXLEGG 66 

THE  KAISERGEBIRGE,  NEAR  KUFSTEIN     ...  68 

THE  KAISERGEBIRGE  (in  full  colour)        ...  70 

WOMEN  OF  THE  ZILLERTHAL  AND  INNTHAL      .       .  84 

THE  SNOW  MOUNTAINS  OF  STUBAI   ....  89 

IN  THE  STUBAI  VALLEY 90 

STERZING 92 

MlTTEWALD  AND  PFLERSCH  ON  THE  BRENNER  ROUTE  94 

CASTLE  BRUNECK 101 

IN  THE  AMPEZZO  VALLEY 107 

CLOISTER  IN  BRIXEN 128 

CASTLE  TROSTBURG 134 

xix 


List  of  Illustrations 


THE  SELLAJOCH  (in  full  colour)         .       .       .       .140 

THE  SANTNERSPITZE  OF  THE  SCHLERN  RANGE      .  142 

KLAUSEN 144 

TOMBSTONE  OF  OSWALD  VON  WOLKENSTEIN    .       .150 
STATUE  OF  WALTHER  VON  DER  VOGELWEIDE  IN 

BOZEN 162 

THE  ROSENGARTEN 167 

THE   WlNKLERTHURM 170 

CASTLE  KARNEID 174 

CASTLE  RUNKELSTEIN 178 

MERAN  AND  ITS  PEASANTS 186 

CASTLE  TYROL  FROM  THE  SOUTHEAST  AND  WEST  .  190 

IN  THE  PASSEIER  VALLEY 200 

MAN  OF  KUFSTEIN 202 

INNS  IN  THE  PASSEIER  VALLEY         .       .       .       .213 

SCHLANDERS   IN  THE  VlNTSGAU 2IQ 

A  COURTYARD  IN  THE  CHURBURG     .       .       .       .220 
A  SHELTER -HUT  OF  THE  GERMAN  -  AUSTRIAN  AL- 
PINE CLUB 224 

THE  ORTLER  FROM  TRAFOI 227 

THE  KONIGSPITZE  AND  THE  PAYERHUTTE  (in  full 

colour) 229 

SANTA  MARIA  MAGGIORE  IN  TRENT,  WHERE  THE 

COUNCIL  WAS  HELD 245 

STATUE  OF  DANTE  IN  TRENT 247 

THE  VAJOLETT  THJRME  (in  full  colour)  .       .       .  278 
THE  FEDAJA  PASS  IN  THE  DOLOMITES       .       .       .288 

CORTINA  DI  AMPEZZO 296 

ANNEX  OF  HOTEL  AQUILA  NERA  IN  CORTINA  DI 

AMPEZZO 298 

CLIMBERS  ON  THE  CINQUE  TORRI     ....  304 

THE  DURRENSEE  AND  MONTE  CRISTALLO      .      .  312 

XX 


NORTHERN   TYROL 


The  Fair 
Land  Tyrol 


CHAPTER  I 

INNSBRUCK  —  AN  ALPINE  CAPITAL 

INNSBRUCK  is  preeminently  the  alpine 
capital  of  Europe.  The  mountains  seem  to 
block  the  ends  of  its  streets.  The  houses  look 
as  though  they  ran  right  up  against  a  lofty 
range,  which  is  white  most  of  the  year  and 
only  turns  gray  for  the  summer  months. 

Let  every  place  receive  its  due.  Innsbruck 
lies  i, 880  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  higher 
than  Salzburg,  higher  than  Zurich,  Luzern, 
and  Bern,  higher  even  than  Interlaken. 
Truly,  Innsbruck  is  under  the  very  shadow 
of  the  mountains,  closely  overtopped.  At  the 
same  time  the  plain  of  the  river  Inn  widens 
here  to  its  greatest  extent,  allowing  the  eye  to 

3 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

range  southward  over  Berg  Isel  and  the 
charming  foot-hills  of  the  Mittelgebirge 
sown  with  white  villages,  church  steeples, 
cultivated  fields  and  wooded  groves.  These 
foot-hills  rise  like  terraces  toward  the  higher 
mountains  of  the  Patscher  Kofel  and  the 
pyramidal  Waldrast  Spitze,  or  Series  Spitze. 
East  and  west  the  valley  of  the  Inn  lies  flat 
and  streaked  with  long  strips  of  real  American 
corn,  while  the  stream  itself  glitters  under 
the  sun,  coiling  its  way  between  narrowing 
ranges  into  remote  mauve  and  blue  mono- 
tones, where  stands  the  Kaisergebirge  and 
Kufstein  lies. 

Innsbruck  is  a  full-fledged  city,  containing, 
with  its  suburbs,  more  than  fifty  thousand 
inhabitants.  It  has  its  rows  of  stores,  its 
churches,  theatres,  museums,  monuments, 
cafes,  and  its  special  industries.  It  has  an 
imperial  palace,  military  barracks,  a  univer- 
sity, schools,  and  even  a  botanical  garden; 
but  when  you  look  up  from  the  Maria  There- 
sienstrasse,  you  think  you  must  be  in  some 
village  summer  resort.  While  the  city  basks 
warm  in  the  lap  of  civilization,  the  cool 
clouds  drift  over  the  savage  scene  above.  In 
this  contrast  lies  the  chief  charm  of  Innsbruck. 
While  you  enjoy  the  art  treasures  in  the  Hof- 

4 


THE    FRAU    HITT  -  SPITZE 


Innsbruck 

kirche  and  the  Museum  Ferdinandeum,  while 
you  dine  at  the  restaurant,  or  hear  good  music 
of  an  evening  in  the  concert  halls,  while  every- 
thing down  below  seems  to  be  cozy  and  com- 
fortable in  a  warm-hearted  Tyrolese  world, 
up  there  the  Frau  Hitt,  the  Hafelekar,  the 
Rumer  Spitze,  or  whatever  those  fantastic 
peaks  may  be  called,  turn  a  cold  shoulder 
upon  you,  and  sometimes  even  in  the  height  of 
summer  suddenly  appear  white,  Arctic,  and 
remote. 

Innsbruck  (The  Bridge-over-the-Inn)  is 
well  placed  to  catch  the  tourist  travel,  being 
at  the  intersection  of  an  international  traffic 
that  passes  from  Paris  to  Vienna,  and  from 
Berlin  to  Rome,  over  the  Arlberg  and  Bren- 
ner routes. 

In  the  height  of  the  season  the  place  makes 
a  distinctly  gay  impression.  Travellers  come 
from  pretty  much  everywhere,  but  the  great- 
est contingents  flock  in  from  near-by  Germany, 
and  from  other  provinces  of  Austria  itself. 
These  Teutonic  contingents  enliven  the  streets 
with  their  cheery  enthusiasm.  Mountaineers 
in  costume  range  the  city,  doing  a  little  sight- 
seeing; peasant  women  return  from  market 
with  baskets  on  their  arms,  wearing  black 
felt  sailor  hats,  heavily  embroidered  in  gold 

5 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

under  the  brim,  and  flying  two  long  ribbons 
at  the  back.  Porters  in  brilliant  red  and  green 
caps  wait,  not  too  impatiently,  at  the  street 
corners;  cabs,  pulled  by  one  horse,  though 
made  for  two,  stand  by  the  curb,  and  officers 
in  uniform  clink  their  swords  on  the  pave- 
ments. There  is  everywhere  a  great  deal  of 
green,  and  a  great  many  feathers  point  in  a 
great  many  different  directions,  to  show  that 
we  are  really  in  the  Tyrol  at  last. 

Nobody  can  be  more  than  a  few  hours  in 
Innsbruck  without  passing  through  the  Maria 
Theresienstrasse ;  if  for  no  other  reason,  be- 
cause the  K.  K.  Post  Office  is  there  with  its 
Poste  Restante.  At  one  end  of  the  street  rises 
a  triumphal  arch,  erected  by  the  citizens  in 
1765,  in  commemoration  of  the  visit  of  Em- 
peror Francis  I.  and  Maria  Theresa  to  the 
city  on  the  occasion  of  the  marriage  of  Arch- 
duke Leopold  to  the  Infanta  Maria  Ludovica. 
As  the  wedding  festivities  were  suddenly 
stopped  by  the  death  of  Emperor  Francis  I., 
only  the  southern  side  of  the  arch  displays 
symbols  of  joy,  the  northern  being  decorated 
with  those  of  sorrow. 

Farther  down,  in  the  middle  of  the  busy 
street,  stands  the  Annasaule.  It  is  a  shaft 
rising  from  an  ornate  pedestal,  and  crowned 

6 


Innsbruck 

by  a  figure.  The  sculpture  is  unmistakably 
Italian,  and  so  we  are  not  surprised  that  a 
certain  Benedetti  from  Castione  near  Trent 
was  its  maker.  This  monument  celebrates 
the  expulsion  of  the  Bavarians  and  French 
from  Tyrolese  soil  on  St.  Anne's  day  (July 
26,  1703)  during  the  War  of  the  Spanish  Suc- 
cession. It  was  unveiled  on  another  St. 
Anne's  day,  in  1706. 

Some  noteworthy  houses  flank  the  Maria 
Theresienstrasse.  No.  18,  for  instance,  the 
former  Oesterreichischer  Hof,  has  a  court 
fagade,  frescoed  by  Ferdinand  Wagner; 
large  figures  represent  Industry,  Good  For- 
tune, Prudence,  Honesty,  Commerce  and 
Competition.  Almost  opposite  is  a  house 
decorated  by  a  bust  of  the  poet  Hermann 
von  Gilm,  to  denote  where  he  was  born.  The 
Ottenthalhaus  has  frescoes  by  Plattner  (the 
Virgin  and  five  famous  Tyrolese,  Peter  Anich, 
Andreas  Hofer,  Oswald  von  Wolkenstein, 
Count  Frederick,  "  With  the  Empty  Pockets," 
and  Jos.  Ant.  Koch) .  The  Landhaus  contains 
a  hall  of  sessions  for  the  Tyrolese  Landtag, 
lighted  by  fine  stained-glass  windows.  The 
K.  K.  Post  and  Telegraph  Offices  are  lodged 
in  the  former  palace  of  Thurn  and  Taxis. 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

The  so-called  Paris  Saal  is  rich  in  frescoes  by 
Knoller. 

In  spite  of  these  many  evidences  of  culture, 
every  time  you  look  up  to  the  heights,  there 
are  the  limestone  peaks  peeping  into  the 
street,  to  remind  you  that  you  are  in  an  Alpine 
city  after  all. 

When  the  snow  melts  in  spring,  certain  fan- 
tastic figures  in  black  stand  out  from  the  snow 
on  the  limestone  range,  —  veritable  silhouettes 
on  a  grand  scale.  These  are  called  locally 
Ausapcrungsfiguren.  A  sudden  south  wind 
may  bring  them  to  life  in  a  night,  or  a  day's 
sunshine  free  them  from  their  white  shroud. 
There  are  groups  called  "  The  Torch-bearer 
and  the  Angel,"  the  "  Landsknecht,"  "  The 
Hunter  and  Dog,"  "The  Water-carrier," 
"  The  Witch,"  and  "  The  Knitting  Woman." 
The  townspeople  have  learned  to  look  for 
these  recurring  images,  and  to  measure  the 
approach  of  warmer  weather  by  them. 

At  its  northern  end  the  Maria  Theresien- 
strasse  suddenly  contracts  and  becomes  the 
Herzog-Friedrichstrasse.  You  find  yourself 
in  mediaeval  Innsbruck,  caught  in  the  half- 
light  of  quaint  and  curious  arcades.  Many 
bow  windows  and  hanging  signs  project  into 
the  street.  A  very  ordinary-looking  house, 

8 


Innsbruck 

with  a  very  extraordinary  balcony,  closes  the 
vista  of  the  Herzog-Friedrichstrasse.  It  is 
the  house  of  the  "  Goldene  Dachl,"  —  of  the 
Golden  Roof.  The  balcony  consists  of  two 
stories,  supported  from  the  ground  by  delicate 
arches,  the  balustrades  being  decorated  with 
carved  armorial  bearings  in  marble,  and  the 
walls  with  paintings.  The  roof,  the  Dachl, 
is  covered  with  gilded  copper  tiles.  The  style 
is  late  Gothic,  and  the  whole  is  brilliantly 
pictorial.  The  Goldene  Dachl  has  now  un- 
dergone a  complete  restoration.  After  being 
hidden  from  public  view  for  many  months, 
it  was  unveiled  again  on  Aug.  3,  1899.  The 
stone-cutters  and  fresco-painters  had  effected 
a  transformation,  and  the  3,450  tiles  had  been 
regilded  at  an  expense  of  about  eight  thousand 
gulden. 

For  a  long  time  it  was  supposed  that  the 
Goldene  Dachl  owed  its  origin  to  that  popular 
favourite,  Count  Frederick  of  Tyrol,  nick- 
named "With  the  Empty  Pockets."  The 
story  went  that  he  deliberately  built  this 
costly  gilded  roof  in  order  to  disprove  the 
slur  implied  by  his  nickname.  The  fact  is 
that  Frederick  built  the  house,  but  not  the 
ornate  balcony  nor  its  gilded  roof.  It  was 
the  Emperor  Maximilian  who  added  these 

9 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

features  after  his  second  marriage,  the  one 
with  Bianca  Maria  Sforza  of  Milan.  The 
date  1500  is  to  be  read  above  the  central  win- 
dow. 

In  the  little  square  where  the  house  of  the 
Goldene  Dachl  stands,  you  cannot  fail  to  no- 
tice a  highly  decorated  rococo  house,  the 
Holblinghaus.  Near  by,  too,  rises  the  Stadt- 
thurm,  which  is  often  climbed  for  the  view. 
Around  the  corner  is  the  Gasthof  zum  Gol- 
denen  Adler,  the  Inn  of  the  Golden  Eagle, 
where  so  many  celebrities  have  lodged  in  their 
day:  Goethe,  Heine,  Andreas  Hofer,  and 
crowned  heads  like  Emperor  Joseph  II.,  King 
Ludwig  of  Bavaria,  and  Gustave  III.  of 
Sweden.  The  proprietor  will  show  you  the 
middle  window  from  which  Andreas  Hofer 
is  said  to  have  delivered  his  speech  to  the 
crowd  in  the  street,  on  August  15,  1809.  This 
was  after  the  third  battle  on  Berg  Isel,  when 
Andreas  Hofer  entered  Innsbruck  as  the  vic- 
torious commander-in-chief.  A  copy  of  this 
speech  and  two  portraits  of  the  hero  are  shown 
in  the  inn.  Goethe  was  here  in  1790,  accom- 
panying the  widowed  Duchess  Amalie  of 
Sachsen-Weimar.  The  room  he  occupied  is 
now  adorned  with  a  bust.  Heine  wrote  that 
he  found  such  naturally  antagonistic  portraits 

10 


Innsbruck 

as  those  of  Andreas  Hofer,  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte, and  Ludwig  of  Bavaria  hanging  peace- 
fully side  by  side  in  the  dining-room.  Nie- 
buhr  also  visited  the  inn. 

There  are  many  interesting  features  about 
mediaeval  Innsbruck  which  deserve  to  be 
noticed.  The  Ottoburg,  for  instance,  is  the 
oldest  building  in  the  city.  It  was  the  origi- 
nal castle  of  the  Andechs  family.  Frederick, 
"With  the  Empty  "Pockets,"  inhabited  the 
house  with  the  Goldene  Dachl.  During  the 
reign  of  Maximilian  I.,  the  seat  of  local 
authority  was  transferred  to  a  castle  which 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  Hofburg. 
This  modern  Hofburg  was  patched  together 
by  Maria  Theresa  at  the  end  of  the  last  cen- 
tury, out  of  the  remaining  parts  of  the  former 
castle.  It  looks  rather  bare  and  barrack-like 
on  the  outside,  but  there  are  some  fine  rooms 
in  the  interior,  and  a  Riesensaal  with  pictures 
by  Maulbertsch. 

For  a  complete  review  of  life  in  the  Tyrol, 
it  is  well  to  visit  the  handsome,  well-appointed 
Ferdinandeum  on  the  Museumstrasse.  If  you 
have  special  studies  to  pursue,  you  will  find 
the  Gustos  a  learned,  and,  what  is  more,  an 
enthusiastic  guide. 

There  is  a  rich  archaeological  collection, 
ii 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

containing  among  its  rarest  objects  the  coffin 
of  a  Longobardian  prince,  which  was  orna- 
mented with  gold  bands  and  contained  a 
golden  cross.  It  was  found  at  Civezzano, 
near  Trent.  In  another  room  are  the  globes 
made  by  the  peasant  geographer,  Peter 
Anich;  also  peasant  costumes,  musical  in- 
struments and  carnival  masks.  Philippine 
Welser's  jewel-case  is  shown,  as  well  as  a 
priest's  vestment  embroidered  by  her.  Special 
care  is  bestowed  on  the  souvenirs  of  Andreas 
Hofer,  Speckbacher,  and  Haspinger,  which 
are  viewed  by  the  Tyrolese  with  almost  relig- 
ious feelings.  Among  the  paintings  of  modern 
Tyrolese  artists,  there  is  Karl  Anrather's 
"  Chancellor  Biener,"  but,  best  of  all,  there 
is  the  Defregger  rotunda,  where  the  master's 
pictures  relating  to  the  war  of  1809  are 
exhibited.  Only  three  of  the  paintings,  how- 
ever, are  actual  originals:  (i)  "  Speckbacher 
and  his  son  Anderl  in  the  Inn  of  the  Bear  at 
St.  Johann;"  (2)  "The  Three  Patriots, 
Andreas  Hofer,  Speckbacher,  and  Has- 
pinger;" and  (3)  "The  Innkeeper's  Son" 
(the  son  of  the  Tharer  Wirth  at  Olang  in  the 
Pusterthal).  The  rest  are  copies  of  Defreg- 
ger's  masterpieces  made  by  his  pupils  under 
his  personal  supervision:  "  Speckbacher's 

12 


Innsbruck 

Call  to  Arms  "  (the  original  in  the  posses- 
sion of  Herr  Franz  Lipperleid  in  Matzen, 
near  Brixlegg)  ;  "  The  Mountain  Forge  " 
(original  in  the  Dresden  Gallery)  ;  "  The  Last 
Ban "  (original  in  the  Kunsthistorische 
Museum  in  Vienna)  ;  "  The  Return  of  the 
Victors  "  (original  in  Berlin)  ;  "  Hofer  in 
the  Castle  of  Innsbruck"  (original  in  the 
possession  of  the  Emperor  Francis  Joseph)  ; 
"  Hofer  Going  to  Execution  "  (original  in 
Konigsberg) . 

A  valuable  library  of  Tyroliana  is  also 
maintained  by  the  Ferdinandeum.  Here, 
too,  are  kept  the  archives  of  the  German  and 
Austrian  Alpine  Club. 

Take  it  all  in  all,  there  is  a  great  deal  of 
individuality  about  this  Alpine  capital.  Inns- 
bruck does  not  go  to  sleep  in  the  winter,  but 
has  become  a  popular  resort  all  the  year 
round,  where  the  pleasures  of  open  air,  out- 
of-door  life  are  made  accessible  to  a  grow- 
ing contingent  of  visitors. 

Pretty  much  everything  in  the  way  of  edu- 
cational facilities  is  provided  by  the  city. 
There  are  babies  in  the  kindergarten  and 
students  in  the  university.  There  are  all 
manner  of  games  and  amusements.  There  is 
a  theatre;  a  panorama  of  the  Battle  of  Berg 

13 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Isel;  a  relief  model  of  the  Tyrol,  and  a  per- 
manent industrial  exhibition;  while  the 
brand-new  Stadtsale  supply  concerts.  Beyond 
the  Hofgarten  park,  on  the  banks  of  the  Inn, 
a  peasant  theatre  gives  representations  of 
highly  romantic  knightly  plays,  or  of  droll, 
local  comedies.  Innsbruck,  being  the  capital 
of  a  province,  is  also  the  seat  of  a  governor, 
and  the  headquarters  of  an  Austrian  army 
corps  of  several  thousand  men. 

Hence,  let  us  rejoice  in  Innsbruck,  while 
the  dear  old  peaks  of  the  limestone  ridge  look 
down  as  severely  as  they  may,  or  withdraw 
within  their  circling  clouds;  let  the  rapid  Inn 
whirl  by  in  a  gray  flood  of  melted  snow,  while 
the  winds  sweep  across  the  meadow-lands,  or 
whisper  through  the  rustling  patches  of  corn; 
let  the  sun  lighten  the  mountain  flanks  and  the 
groups  of  young  trees  in  the  forests;  let  the 
smell  of  flowers  hover  over  the  sloping  pas- 
tures, while  the  smoke  of  pine-wood  fires,  ris- 
ing from  many  a  high-placed  aim,  denotes  the 
meek  and  humble  homes  of  the  sturdy  toilers 
in  the  heights. 


THE  KALKKOGEL,  NEAR 
INNSBRUCK 

The  dear  old  peaks  of  the  limestone 
ridge  look  down  as  severely  as 
they  may" 


CHAPTER  II 

THE    HOFKIRCHE  —  TYROL'S    WESTMINSTER 
ABBEY 

THE  Emperor  Maximilian  I.  made  ar- 
rangements during  his  lifetime  for  a  sumptu- 
ous, monumental  tomb  to  himself,  and  this 
was  slowly  finished  in  the  course  of  the  six- 
teenth century.  To-day  the  tomb  and  its 
accompanying  statues  almost  fill  the  church. 
The  Hofkirche  has  become  the  veritable 
Westminster  Abbey  of  the  Tyrol.  For  not 
only  does  it  contain  the  tomb  of  Maximilian 
I.,  but  also  that  of  the  national  hero  of  the  war 
of  1809,  Andreas  Hofer.  On  either  side  of 
the  latter  lie  his  companions  in  arms,  Josef 
Speckbacher  and  Joachim  Haspinger. 

When  you  enter  the  Hofkirche,  a  certain 
lightness  of  form  makes  itself  felt.  Ten  lofty 
red  marble  columns  rise  to  the  ceiling,  which 
is  decorated  in  rococo,  and  in  the  centre 
Maximilian  in  bronze  is  represented,  kneeling 
on  a  monster  marble  sarcophagus.  He  is  clad 

15 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

in  crown  and  armour  and  in  imperial  robe. 
Twenty-eight  bronze  figures  surround  the 
tomb,  acting  as  the  mourners  and  torch-bear- 
ers. All  but  two  of  these  figures  have  the 
right  hand  stretched  forward,  and  their  hands 
rounded  as  in  the  act  of  holding  torches. 

It  is  said  that  Maximilian  himself  chose 
the  personages  who  were  to  do  court  duty 
around  his  tomb.  Twenty-three  of  the 
twenty-eight  were  ancestors  of  his,  or  con- 
temporary relatives,  male  or  female;  five 
were  his  favourite  heroes  of  antiquity. 
Among  the  latter  stands  King  Arthur  of 
England. 

The  writer  first  saw  this  statue  one  mid- 
winter day,  just  before  Christmas,  while  pass- 
ing through  Innsbruck  on  the  way  to  Meran. 
It  was  then  little  known  in  England  or 
America,  and  has,  in  fact,  only  recently  be- 
come well  known  to  the  outside  world  at 
large.  In  making  the  round  of  the  bronze 
figures,  the  writer  suddenly  came  upon  this 
masterpiece  among  them.,  and  was  amazed 
that  the  whole  world  had  not  long  since  sung 
its  praises.  Americans  may  justly  feel  proud 
of  the  fact  that  the  first  plaster  cast  ever  made 
from  the  King  Arthur  statue  was  one  for  the 
Museum  of  Fine  Arts  in  Boston.  The  cura- 

16 


STATUE    OF    KING    ARTHUR    OF    ENGLAND 
IN    INNSBRUCK 


The  Hofkirche 

tor  of  that  institution  deserves  much  credit 
in  having  popularized  this  artistic  treasure 
among  Americans. 

King  Arthur  stands  erect;  a  tall,  soldierly 
young  man.  The  pose  is  faultless.  It  is  one 
of  military  readiness  and  alertness,  yet  with- 
out provocation.  The  whole  forms  an  ideal 
of  knighthood  which  recalls  the  age  of 
chivalry  at  its  best.  The  head  is  encased  in 
a  close-fitting  helmet,  the  ornate  visor  is 
turned  up,  showing  a  manly  face  of  the  Teu- 
tonic order.  One  can  almost  imagine  the  eyes 
to  be  blue  and  the  hair  blond.  Arthur  wears 
a  costly  breastplate,  plain  greaves,  and 
pointed  shoes,  while  he  holds  the  shield  of 
Great  Britain  in  one  hand. 

It  is  now  generally  conceded  that  Peter 
Vischer,  of  Nurnberg,  was  the  maker  of  this 
statue  of  King  Arthur. 

Another  statue  ascribed  to  Peter  Vischer 
is  that  of  Theodoric  the  Great  (Dietrich  von 
Bern),  King  of  the  Goths,  or  Konig  der 
Goott,  as  the  inscription  reads. 

It  seems  quite  probable  that  the  same  man 
served  as  model  for  both  statues,  but  Theod- 
oric, though  he  has  his  fine  points,  is  no 
King  Arthur.  He  leans  somewhat  too  deject- 
edly upon  his  halberd,  to  inspire  the  same 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

admiration.  Still  Theodoric  finds  favour 
with  many  sightseers,  and  copies  of  this  work 
are  to  be  seen  in  the  store  windows  almost 
as  often  as  those  of  King  Arthur. 

Beginning  on  the  right  as  we  enter,  we  find 
( i )  Chlodwig,  King  of  the  Franks,  a  power- 
ful-looking warrior,  with  curly  beard  and 
spiked  crown.  (2)  Philip  I.,  surnamed  the 
Handsome,  King  of  Spain,  eldest  son  of  Maxi- 
milian, a  young  man  with  classic  features, 
and  an  air  of  much  distinction.  (3)  The  Em- 
peror Rudolf  of  Habsburg,  who  wears  his 
hair  plastered  very  smooth  down  to  his  neck, 
where  it  curls  up  stiffly.  (4)  Duke  Albrecht 
II.,  surnamed  the  Wise.  (5)  Theodoric  the 
Great.  (6)  Duke  Ernest  of  Austria  and 
Styria.  (7)  Theodobert,  Duke  of  Burgundy, 
who  is  entirely  encased  in  most  elaborate 
armour.  (8)  King  Arthur.  (9)  Archduke 
Sigismund  of  Austria.  (10)  Bianca  Maria 
Sforza,  second  wife  of  Maximilian,  (n) 
Margaret,  his  daughter.  (12)  Cymburgis, 
wife  of  Ernest,  Duke  of  Austria  and  Styria. 
The  statues  of  (13)  Charles  the  Bold,  of  Bur- 
gundy, and  of  his  father  (14)  Philip  the 
Good,  are  sharply  contrasted.  Charles  is  rep- 
resented as  a  cheerful,  happy,  and  wholesome 
sort  of  man,  while  the  good  Philip  is  given 

18 


STATUE    OF   THEODORIC    IN    INNSBRUCK 


The  Hofkirche 

a  somewhat  unsympathetic  appearance.  (15) 
Emperor  Albrecht  II.  .(16)  Emperor  Fred- 
erick III.,  father  of  Maximilian.  (17)  Leo- 
pold III.,  Margrave  of  Austria.  (18)  Count 
Rudolf  of  Habsburg,  grandfather  of  the 
Emperor  Rudolf.  (19)  Duke  Leopold  III. 
of  Austria,  who  fell  at  Sempach,  fighting 
against  the  Swiss.  (20)  Frederick  IV.,  Count 
of  Tyrol,  surnamed  "  With  the  Empty  Pock- 
ets." (21)  Emperor  Albrecht  I.  (22)  God- 
frey de  Bouillon,  with  a  crown  of  thorns. 
(23)  Elizabeth  of  Hungary,  wife  of  Albrecht 
II.  (24)  Mary  of  Burgundy,  first  wife  of 
Maximilian.  (25)  Eleonora  of  Portugal,  the 
mother  of  Maximilian.  (26)  Kunigunde,  sis- 
ter of  Maximilian.  (27)  Ferdinand  of  Ara- 
gon.  (28)  Johanna,  daughter  of  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella  of  Spain,  and  wife  of  Philip  I., 
surnamed  the  Handsome,  Maximilian's  son. 

The  bronze  figure  of  Maximilian  himself 
is  by  Ludovico  Scalza,  called  Del  Duca, 
while  the  four  allegories  of  Justice,  Prudence, 
Strength,  and  Wisdom,  are  by  Hans  Lenden- 
streich. 

The  authorship  of  the  surrounding  bronze 
statues  is  no  longer  in  doubt.  Apart  from 
those  of  King  Arthur  and  Theodoric,  which, 
as  already  stated,  were  by  Peter  Vischer  of 

19 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Niirnberg,  they  have  all  been  identified  as 
the  work  of  Gilg  Sesselschreiber  of  Munich, 
of  Stephan  Godl  of  Niirnberg,  or  of  Chris- 
toph  Amberger  of  Niirnberg.  There  was  a 
foundry  at  Miihlau  near  Innsbruck,  where 
almost  all  the  casting  was  done. 

It  is  evident  that  a  big  book  could  be 
written  around  these  personages,  and  made 
to  cover  the  history  of  Europe  during  several 
centuries. 

Twenty-four  reliefs  in  marble  decorate  the 
sides  of  the  great  sarcophagus  on  which  Maxi- 
milian kneels.  They  may  well  be  described 
as  veritable  pictures  in  stone  of  Carrara,  as 
fine  as  ivory.  So  delicate  is  the  workmanship 
that  they  are  kept  under  glass,  and  one  has  to 
secure  the  services  of  the  custodian  to  open  the 
screen  which  surrounds  the  sarcophagus.  In 
making  the  rounds  as  a  tourist,  it  is,  of  course, 
difficult  to  estimate  such  minute  work  at  its 
full  value.  The  scenes  represent  various 
striking  incidents  in  Maximilian's  reign.  All 
but  three  tablets  in  the  series  are  by  that 
Alexandre  Colin  who,  though  born  at 
Malines,  in  Flanders,  lived  forty  years  in 
Innsbruck,  and  died  there  in  1612.  The 
remaining  three  are  by  Bernhard  and  Arnold 
Abel  of  Cologne. 

20 


CHAPTER  III 

MAXIMILIAN  —  THE  LAST  OF  THE  KNIGHTS 
(1459-  1519) 

WE  cannot  do  much  sightseeing  in  Inns- 
bruck, or  for  that  matter  in  the  Tyrol  at  large, 
without  continually  coming  upon  traces  of 
Emperor  Maximilian  I.,  of  the  house  of 
Habsburg- Austria. 

His  was  an  all-pervading  personality,  fill- 
ing his  age,  and  leaving  a  trail  of  legends  to 
his  credit  in  the  mouths  of  his  people.  What 
did  Maximilian  I.  look  like?  He  was  a  man 
with  an  aquiline  nose  set  in  a  broad  face,  with 
a  delicately  chiselled  mouth,  of  which  the 
lower  lip  protruded  slightly,  with  keen,  dark 
eyes,  and  long  hair  hanging  to  his  shoulders, 
—  he  had  the  face  of  an  artist,  strong  and 
sensitive,  romantic  and  imaginative.  His 
personality  was  commanding,  yet  full  of 
temperament,  full  of  kindliness.  These 
traits  appear  in  the  many  portraits  of  him 
which  are  extant,  whether  we  take  that  su- 

21 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

perb  portrait  by  Bernhard  Strigel  in  the 
Pinakothek  at  Munich,  his  full  face,  by 
Lucas  of  Leyden,  in  the  Gemaldegalerie  of 
Vienna,  his  kneeling  figure  in  Bernardo  Zer- 
nale's  picture  in  the  Pinacoteca  of  Milan,  his 
profile  by  Ambrose  de  Predis  in  the  Kunst- 
historische  Museum  in  Vienna,  or,  finally,  that 
portrait  by  Albrecht  Diirer,  showing  him  in 
his  declining  years,  which  is  now  kept  in  the 
Gemaldegalerie  in  Vienna.  The  features 
are  everywhere  the  same,  even  on  numerous 
medals,  coins,  and  in  woodcuts. 

The  marble  tablets  that  surround  Maxi- 
milian's cenotaph,  in  the  Hofkirche,  tell  the 
story  of  his  life.  Let  us  turn  the  leaves  of 
that  illustrated  text-book.  We  find,  (i) 
"  The  Wedding  of  Maximilian  with  Mary 
of  Burgundy."  Charles  the  Bold,  of  Bur- 
gundy, had  no  son  to  succeed  him.  He  left 
an  only  daughter,  Mary,  who  presently  found 
herself  beset  with  difficulties,  plunged  into 
that  network  of  intrigue  into  which  the  wily 
Louis  XI.  had  drawn  her  father,  the  Swiss 
Confederates,  and  the  house  of  Habsburg. 
She  found  her  subjects  in  Flanders  rebellious, 
at  the  same  time  that  Louis  XI.  was  drawing 
the  duchy  of  Burgundy  to  himself  and  press- 
ing upon  her  the  unwelcome  suit  of  his  son. 

22 


Maximilian 

In  her  troubles  she  appealed  to  young  Maxi- 
milian, her  betrothed  from  childhood.  He 
started  for  Flanders  to  protect  his  bride,  and 
to  fight  the  King  of  France.  He  was  only 
eighteen  at  the  time,  and  she  twenty.  The 
wedding  took  place  on  August  19,  1477. 

It  is  not  often  that  people  marry  for  poli- 
tics and  find  love,  but  the  marriage  of  these 
two  young  people,  who  had  never  seen  each 
other  before,  certainly  proved  an  exception 
to  the  rule.  Their  children  were  Philip,  born 
in  1478,  and  Margaret  in  1480.  Mary  of 
Burgundy  was  a  young  woman  of  consider- 
able charm.  Her  portraits  do  not  show  great 
beauty,  but  her  eyes  were  attractive,  her  tem- 
perament bright,  her  carriage  graceful,  and 
she  proved  an  eager  companion  for  Maxi- 
milian on  his  rides  and  hunting  expeditions. 
There  is  a  touching  little  woodcut  extant, 
in  which  the  young  couple  are  shown  sitting 
together:  Maximilian  teaching  his  bride 
German  and  she  teaching  him  French. 

In  1479  Maximilian  defeated  the  French  in 
(2)  "The  Battle  of  Guinegate." 

But  his  married  happiness  came  to  an  end 
in  1481.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  Mary 
accompanied  her  husband  on  one  of  his  expe- 
ditions, and  during  the  hunt  her  horse  stum- 

23 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

bled,  threw  her,  and  finally  fell  upon  her. 
She  died  of  her  injuries,  and  was  buried  in 
the  cathedral  in  Bruges,  where  the  body  of 
her  father,  Charles  the  Bold,  already  lay. 

(3)  "The  Storming  of  Arras,"  1482. 

In  1486,  Maximilian's  father,  the  Emperor 
Frederick  III.,  called  an  imperial  diet  of  the 
Princes  Electors,  to  Frankfurt,  to  determine 
the  succession.  A  marble  tablet  represents: 
(4)  "  The  Coronation  of  Maximilian  as 
Roman  King,"  1486.  The  festivities  at 
Aachen  were  on  a  sumptuous  scale.  After 
a  triumphal  entry  into  the  city,  Maximilian 
was  crowned  in  the  minster  with  the  Roman 
crown,  then  he  sat  in  Charlemagne's  stone 
chair  and  knighted  two  hundred  followers. 
A  whole  ox  was  roasted  for  the  populace; 
inside  the  ox  was  a  pig,  inside  the  pig  a  goose, 
inside  the  goose  a  chicken,  and  so  on  to  the 
smaller  animals.  This  has  been  aptly  called 
an  example  of  the  "  grotesque  gastronomy  " 
of  those  days. 

(5)  "Victory  of  the  Tyrolese  over  the 
Venetians  at  Galliano,  on  the  Adige  between 
Trent  and  Rovereto,"  1487.  In  the  mean- 
time Maximilian,  the  Habsburg  widower, 
began  to  look  about  him  for  a  second  wife. 
He  first  applied  for  the  hand  of  a  daughter 

24 


Maximilian 

of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  of  Spain.  His 
overtures  were  not  received.  Two  years  later 
he  turned  his  attention  upon  Anne,  the  young 
Duchess  of  Brittany.  He  offered  his  hand 
and  was  accepted.  Anne  of  Brittany  was 
hardly  more  than  a  child,  and  had  been  much 
attracted  by  what  she  had  heard  of  Maxi- 
milian. But  political  necessity  overthrew  this 
project.  As  once  before,  the  French  broke 
into  Maximilian's  plans.  Young  Charles 
VIII.,  son  of  Louis  XL,  made  war  upon 
Anne's  possessions,  undermined  her  authority, 
and  brought  her  into  his  power.  As  Maxi- 
milian did  not  come  to  her  aid,  he  being 
involved  in  affairs  in  Hungary,  she  at  first 
decided  to  go  to  him.  But  at  the  last  moment, 
the  poor  young  thing,  hemmed  in  on  all  sides, 
gave  up  this  attempt,  and  ended  by  marrying 
Charles  VIII.  and  becoming  Queen  of 
France. 

Vienna  had  for  several  years  been  held  by 
Matthias  Corvinus,  King  of  Hungary,  but 
upon  his  death  there  followed  the  (6)  "  En- 
try of  Maximilian  into  Vienna  after  its 
abandonment  by  the  Hungarians,"  1490. 
This  was  followed  by  a  short  campaign  in 
Hungary  itself  to  establish  the  rule  of  Habs- 
burg  there.  (7)  "The  Storming  of  Stuhl- 

25 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

weissenburg,"  the  city  where  the  Hungarian 
kings  were  crowned,  1490. 

Maximilian's  grievance  against  Charles 
VIII.  of  France  was  twofold,  —  not  only  had 
he  robbed  him  of  his  bride,  but  he  had  broken 
his  engagement  with  Maximilian's  daughter, 
Margaret,  who  had  been  betrothed  to  Charles 
since  childhood.  Maximilian  had  given  her 
in  charge  of  Louis  XI.  when  she  was  only 
two  years  old.  She  had  grown  up  at  the 
French  court.  Now  Charles  held  Margaret 
as  hostage  on  account  of  Artois  and  Franche 
Comte,  which  were  her  dowry.  Maximilian, 
deeply  humiliated,  was  eager  for  war,  but 
managed  to  obtain  a  treaty  which  gave  him 
back  his  daughter  and  her  dowry  in  lands. 

(8)  "Return  of  Margaret,"  in  1493. 

Maximilian's  second  wife  was  Bianca 
Maria  Sforza,  niece  of  Ludovico  Moro  of 
Milan.  A  portrait  of  her  by  Ambrose  de 
Predis,  now  kept  in  the  Gemaldegalerie  in 
Vienna,  shows  the  pure  Italian  oval  of  her 
face,  and  a  quaint  and  dainty  arrangement 
of  hair  and  jewelry.  This  marriage  brought 
Maximilian  four  hundred  thousand  ducats  in 
cash,  and  an  opportunity  of  extending  his 
power  over  the  Alps  into  the  rich  plains  of 


26 


Maximilian 

Lombardy.    The  wedding  took  place  in  Inns- 
bruck in  1494. 

(9)  "  Expulsion     of     the     Turks     from 
Croatia." 

The  mere  mention  of  the  subjects  depicted 
in  the  tablets  shows  Maximilian's  restless 
activity. 

(10)  "  Alliance  between  Maximilian,  Pope 
Alexander  VI.,   Venice,    and   the    Duke   of 
Milan  against  Charles  VIII.  of  France." 

( 1 1 )  "  Investment  of  Ludovico  Sforza  with 
the  Duchy  of  Milan." 

(12)  "Wedding  of  Philip,  Maximilian's 
eldest  son,  to  Johanna  of  Arragon,  daughter 
of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella." 

In  the  same  year  Margaret  was  married 
to  Johanna's  brother,  Don  Juan. 

(13)  "Victory   of    Maximilian   over   the 
Bohemians  at  Regensburg,"  1504. 

(14)  "Siege  of  Kufstein,"  1504. 

(15)  "Taking  of  Guelders,"   1505. 

(16)  "The  League  of  Cambrai,"  1508. 

(17)  "Entry  into  Padua." 

(18)  "Expulsion    of    the    French    from 
Milan,"  1512. 

(19)  "The  Second  Victory  at  Guinegate," 
the  Battle  of  the  Spurs,  1513. 

(20)  "  Meeting  of  Maximilian  with  Henry 

27 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

VIII.  of  England  at  the  Siege  of  Tournai," 

1513- 

(21)  "  Battle  of  Vicenza  against  the  Vene- 
tians/' 1513. 

(22)  "  Battle  of  Murano,"  1514. 

(23)  "  Double    wedding    of    Ferdinand, 
Maximilian's     grandson,     and     Maria,     his 
granddaughter,  with  Anne  and  Ludwig,  chil- 
dren of  Vladislaw,  King  of  Hungary,"  1515. 

(24)  "  Defence    of    Verona    against    the 
French  and  Venetians,"  1516. 

The  marble  tablets  of  the  Hofkirche,  no 
less  than  the  bronze  figures  which  stand 
around  the  sarcophagus,  recall  many  deci- 
sive moments  in  the  world's  history. 

The  name  of  Charles  the  Bold,  of  Bur- 
gundy, recalls  his  attempt  to  found  a  middle 
kingdom  between  France  and  Germany. 
The  mention  of  Louis  XI.  of  France  brings 
forward  historical  events  of  great  moment. 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella  of  Spain  are  brought 
into  the  story  at  the  very  time  when  Christo- 
pher Columbus  was  discovering  our  new 
world.  The  tablets  show  us  the  Republic  of 
Venice  at  the  beginning  of  its  decline,  and  the 
Swiss  Confederation  at  the  height  of  its 
military  power.  They  give  us  a  kaleidoscopic 


28 


Maximilian 

picture  comprising  also  Hungary,  Turkey, 
and  the  Papal  States.  In  them  we  are  re- 
minded of  that  long  struggle  for  the  posses- 
sion of  the  duchy  of  Milan;  of  the  Flemish 
cities  with  their  wealthy  and  independent 
citizens;  of  many  leagues,  marriages,  and 
festivities.  But  Maximilian  marches  from 
one  tablet  to  another,  debonnaire  and  mediae- 
val. He  goes  a-hunting  between  chapters  in 
history-making;  and  appears  now  and  again 
in  his  character  of  "  The  Last  of  the  Knights." 
Throughout  his  life  Maximilian  remained 
proud  of  the  house  of  Habsburg,  and  did  not 
hesitate  to  place  on  his  seal  that  play  upon 
the  vowels:  A,  E,  I,  O,  U,  which  reads, 
Alles  Erdrelch  1st  Oesterreich  Unterthan, 
All  the  World  is  Austria's  Subject. 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  nothing  appears 
in  these  tablets  to  show  Maximilian's  defeat 
at  the  hands  of  the  Swiss  Confederates  in 
1499;  and  nothing  of  his  imprisonment  in  his 
own  castle  by  his  Flemish  subjects  soon  after 
his  coronation.  In  truth,  our  hero  was  not 
always  victorious.  The  tremendous  hold 
which  he  obtained  upon  the  popular  imagina- 
tion must  be  sought  in  certain  personal  traits, 
in  his  activity,  his  generosity,  his  interest  in 


29 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

the  life  and  pursuits  of  the  people,  as  distin- 
guished from  the  aristocracy,  and  especially  in 
his  patronage  of  the  arts  and  sciences. 

He  caused  certain  series  of  woodcuts  to 
be  made  to  celebrate  the  deeds  of  the  house 
of  Habsburg  and  of  himself.  The  first  series, 
by  Hans  Burgkmair  of  Augsburg,  was  called 
"  Geneologie."  It  contained  seventy-seven 
drawings  of  Maximilian's  ancestors  in  the 
flesh  and  in  fantasy,  beginning  with  Hector, 
Priam's  son. 

Then  came  the  "  Austrian  Saints,"  by  Leon- 
hard  Beck  of  Augsburg.  "The  Freydal" 
contained  pictures  of  tourneys  and  festivities 
in  which  Maximilian  participated.  Other 
biographical  series  were  called  "  Weiss- 
kunig  "  and  "  Teuerdank."  Albrecht  Diirer, 
himself,  in  cooperation  with  the  court  his- 
torian Stabius,  drew  up  plans  for  an  "  Eh- 
renpforte,"  or  Triumphal  Gate.  Ninety-two 
sheets  of  this  work  were  finished,  though  not 
paid  for,  and  were  sold  singly  after  Maxi- 
milian's death.  Finally  Maximilian  ordered 
a  series  called  the  "  Triumphzug,"  the  Tri- 
umphal Procession.  When  completed,  this 
work  contained  137  sheets,  of  which  sixty- 
seven  were  by  Hans  Burgkmair,  seven  by 


Maximilian 

Leonhard  Beck,  and  the  rest,  certainly  one 
of  the  imperial  chariot,  and  of  the  several 
triumphal  cars,  by  Albrecht  Diirer,  him- 
self. 


CHAPTER  IV 

ROUND    ABOUT    INNSBRUCK 
Martlnswand 

ALTHOUGH  Maximilian  liked  to  surround 
himself  with  men  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  he 
was  an  outdoor  man  of  the  most  pronounced 
kind. 

If  you  look  up  from  Innsbruck  toward 
the  limestone  range  to  the  north,  you  will  see 
the  Weiherburg,  a  favourite  hunting  castle 
of  Maximilian. 

Maximilian's  name  is  also  connected  with 
a  great  wall  of  rock  lying  westward  from 
Innsbruck  toward  Zirl.  The  Martinswand 
is  nothing  more  than  a  vast  precipitous  spur 
of  the  limestone  range,  already  mentioned  in 
the  description  of  Innsbruck. 

The  story  goes  that  one  day  in  1493,  Maxi- 
milian, while  out  chamois  hunting  on  top  of 
this  spur,  missed  his  footing,  and  rolled  to  the 


Round  about  Innsbruck 

edge.  There  he  clung,  unable  to  move  up  or 
down.  But  his  peril  was  observed  from  be- 
low, and  a  chamois  hunter  climbed  around 
by  the  back  and  managed  to  rescue  the  much 
exhausted  Maximilian.  This  chamois  hunter 
was  afterward  ennobled  under  the  name  of 
Hollauer.  A  little  path  with  a  railing  now 
leads  up  to  the  site  of  the  rescue,  where  a  cross 
and  a  bust  of  the  emperor  have  been  erected 
within  a  grotto. 

Berg  Isel 

Pass  out  under  the  triumphal  gate  some 
morning  to  see  the  sights  toward  the  south. 
Turn  your  back  .upon  the  cruel  limestone 
range  of  the  north  and  let  your  eye  search 
the  gentle  spurs  of  the  Mittelgebirge  and  the 
green  mountains  beyond  where  the  Brenner 
Pass  winds  its  way.  The  name  of  Berg  Isel 
is  popularly  given  to  that  little  hill,  off  there, 
at  the  exact  entrance  of  the  Pass,  although  the 
name  really  covers  the  whole  of  the  spur 
which  runs  down  from  the  Stubai  Valley  in 
the  direction  of  the  valley  of  the  Inn.  Berg 
Isel  recalls  the  heroic  figure  of  Andreas 
Hofer,  whose  statue  stands  in  the  tiny  park 
on  the  top  of  the  hill.  This  statue  is  the  work 
of  the  Tyrolese  sculptor,  Heinrich  Natter. 

33 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

We  find  a  powerful  figure,  dressed  in  the  cos- 
tume of  Hofer's  native  valley,  the  Passeierthal. 
The  costume  is  of  the  beginning  of  last  cen- 
tury. Andreas  Hofer  faces  Innsbruck  and 
points  down  upon  it  with  his  right  hand, 
while  his  left  presses  the  flag  of  Tyrol  to  his 
heart.  The  monument  is  flanked  by  two 
eagles.  A  bronze  tablet  bears  the  words, 
"  For  God,  Emperor,  and  Fatherland." 

The  notable  dates  for  Berg  Isel  were  April 
i3th,  May  2510  and  29th,  August  13™,  and 
November  i,  1809.  The  Tyrolese,  under 
Andreas  Hofer,  took  Innsbruck  three  times 
in  the  same  year  from  the  Bavarians  and  the 
French. 

The  sculptor  frequently  visited  the  Pas- 
seierthal in  making  his  studies  for  the  statue, 
but  he  died  in  1892,  a  year  before  the  unveil- 
ing, which  took  place  amid  great  popular 
rejoicings.  The  Emperor  Francis  Joseph 
himself  unveiled  the  monument  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  archdukes,  the  local  authorities, 
and  a  vast  concourse  of  peasants. 

The  hill  belongs  to  the  Kaiser-Jager,  or 
imperial  sharpshooters,  who  also  have  a  mu- 
seum there,  and  a  little  monument  to  them- 
selves, in  memory  of  those  of  their  number 


34 


STATUE   OF    ANDREAS    HOFER   ON    BERG   ISEL 


Round  about  Innsbruck 

who  have  fallen  in  battle,  in  the  Tyrol,  in 
Italy,  Hungary,  and  in  Herzegovina.  A 
rifle  range  is  to  be  found  on  the  side  toward 
the  Sill  Valley. 

The  Tummelplatz 

On  the  way  from  Berg  Isel  to  Schloss 
Ambras  lies  one  of  the  most  impressive  and 
characteristic  spots  in  the  whole  of  the  Tyrol. 
During  the  wars  of  1798  and  1809  Schloss 
Ambras  was  used  as  a  military  hospital  and 
its  ancient  tournament  grounds  as  a  cemetery 
for  friend  and  foe,  to  the  number  of  almost 
eight  thousand. 

The  tournament  grounds  have  now  been 
changed  into  a  sweet  and  silent  grove.  Parties 
of  peasants  wind  their  way  among  the  trees, 
singing  antiphonally.  The  soft  sward  under 
the  pines  muffles  every  footfall.  The  breeze 
sighs  peacefully  in  the  branches.  The  wood- 
land smell  is  sweet,  and  in  this  moist  shelter, 
away  from  the  glare  of  the  country  road, 
there  is  great  calm  and  serenity,  so  that  the 
voices  of  a  jolly  party,  coming  along  the 
forest-path,  drop  to  whispers  as  each  person 
comes  within  the  quiet  circle  of  the  trees. 


35 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Schloss  Ambras 

It  may  be  generally  assumed  that  every 
castle  in  Europe  was  once  a  Roman  castellum. 
Ambras,  too,  had  a  Roman  beginning,  but  the 
first  structure  on  the  spot,  which  was  worthy 
of  the  name  of  castle,  was  erected  here  by  the 
family  of  Andechs,  that  family  which  was 
extremely  influential  in  the  valley  of  the  Inn, 
before  the  rise  of  the  Counts  of  Tyrol.  They 
were  a  characteristic  feudal  race,  these  An- 
dechser,  distinguished  on  battle-field  and  in 
council-hall.  They  were  crusaders,  pilgrims 
to  Rome,  officers  of  the  empire,  founders  of 
many  ecclesiastical  institutions,  and  owners 
of  estates  from  Burgundy  to  Istria. 

Edmund  Oefele,  their  historian,  claims  for 
them  that  they  were  "  beloved  on  earth,  es- 
pecially by  singers,  for  whom  they  always 
kept  open  house,  and  beloved  in  heaven,  which 
they  supplied  with  several  saints."  Upon 
the  death  of  the  last  Duke  Otto  II.,  the  family 
possessions  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Counts 
of  Tyrol. 

The  reader  must  be  cautioned  against  de- 
riving the  name  Ambras,  or  Amras,  as  it  is 
often  written,  from  "  Am  Rasen,"  "  By  the 


Round  about  Innsbruck 

Turf  or  Grass  Plot."    This  derivation  is  not 
countenanced  by  historians. 

Enter  the  castle  gate  and  you  find  yourself 
in  a  court,  where  a  ticket  of  admission  is  re- 
quired. This  can  be  obtained  gratis,  but  only 
at  the  Hofburg  in  Innsbruck.  Three  parts 
of  the  castle  are  shown  to  sightseers:  the 
Unterschloss,  the  Spanish  Hall,  and  the 
Hochschloss.  Since  1882  the  three  form  a 
series  of  museums.  In  1806,  the  main  collec- 
tions were  transported  to  Vienna,  but  in  1880 
portions  of  them  were  returned.  The  Unter- 
schloss contains  a  collection  of  armour  and 
weapons,  covering  the  period  from  the  fif- 
teenth century  to  our  own  day.  The  frescoed 
Spanish  Hall  in  its  present  restoration  is  bril- 
liant in  colour,  and  interesting  to  the  his- 
torian on  account  of  its  portraits  of  counts  and 
dukes  of  the  Tyrol  from  1229  to  1600.  Among 
the  hunting  trophies  are  many  horns  of  the 
steinbock,  an  animal  now  extinct  in  the  Alps, 
except  in  the  royal  Italian  preserves  in  Pied- 
mont. The  curios,  bric-a-brac,  and  portraits 
of  the  Hochschloss  are  not  of  great  value,  and 
on  the  whole  Ambras  is  not  much  of  a  suc- 
cess as  a  museum,  but  it  captivates  the  vis- 
itor by  reason  of  its  charms  of  site  and  ar- 


37 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

chitecture.  Moreover,  it  was  the  home  of  that 
interesting  woman,  Philippine  Welser,  the 
burgher  wife  of  Archduke  Ferdinand  of 
Austria. 


CHAPTER  V 

PHILIPPINE   WELSER    (1527-1580) 

THERE  is  a  portrait  of  Philippine  Welser 
which  no  one  who  visits  Innsbruck  can  fail 
to  see  in  photographic  reproductions.  The 
original  is  in  Vienna. 

She  may  not  look  a  great  beauty  in  the  por- 
trait, owing  to  the  somewhat  peculiar  head- 
dress of  her  day,  but  serenity  sits  upon  her 
forehead  and  a  light  shines  from  her  face, 
Her  blond  hair  was  such  a  marvel  to  the 
Italian  artists  who  frequented  the  archducal 
court,  that  they  called  her  simply  "  la  bella 
Filipina." 

For  a  long  time  the  romantic  story-tellers 
had  their  way  undisturbed  with  her  life,  but 
recently  scientific  historians  have  been  prob- 
ing and  setting  facts  in  order.  These  will  be 
found  at  their  best  in  the  account  published 
by  Wendelin  Boeheim,  and  issued  from  the 
press  of  the  Ferdinandeum  in  Innsbruck. 
Philippine  Welser's  father,  Franz  Welser, 

39 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

was  a  well-to-do  merchant  of  Augsburg. 
His  brother  Bartholomaus  was,  in  fact,  very 
rich.  It  was  with  ships  supplied  by  the  Wel- 
ser  family  that  Venezuela  was  conquered  by 
the  Spaniards  and  colonized  from  Seville  as 
the  point  of  departure. 

Philippine  was  born  in  Augsburg,  in  1527, 
in  a  house  on  the  corner  of  the  Maximilian 
and  Katharinen  Streets.  The  exact  day  of 
her  birth  is  not  known. 

Her  marriage  with  Archduke  Ferdinand 
took  place  in  Bresnic,  in  Bohemia,  in  January 
of  1557,  Ferdinand  being  twenty-eight  years 
of  age  at  the  time}  and  Philippine  thirty,  two 
years  his  senior. 

In  1563,  Ferdinand  was  appointed  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Tyrol.  He  enlarged  Schloss  Am- 
bras,  filled  it  with  works  of  art,  and  made 
Philippine  a  present  of  it.  In  1567  she 
moved  in.  The  marriage  was  an  exceed- 
ingly happy  one.  They  had  two  sons,  Andrew 
and  Charles,  the  latter  becoming  ruler  of 
Tyrol,  under  the  title  of  Archduke  Ferdinand 
Karl.  Philippine  was  the  typical  Hausfrau 
living  in  a  castle.  The  Venetian  ambassador, 
after  a  visit  to  Ambras,  reported  to  his  Senate 
that  "  he  [the  archduke]  could  not  be  an 
hour  without  her."  Philippine  looked  after 

40 


Philippine  JVelser 

Ferdinand's  comforts  in  the  true  Teutonic 
way,  and  when  he  was  ill  she  tried  her  special 
medicines  on  him,  for  she  kept  a  large  store 
of  them  at  Ambras.  Once  he  came  all  the 
way  from  Hungary,  where  he  was  campaign- 
ing, in  order  to  be  nursed  by  her.  Twice  they 
travelled  together  to  Karlsbad  for  the  waters. 
She  also  went  about  nursing  the  sick  of  the 
neighbourhood,  and  kept  a  book  in  which 
she  noted  down  those  medicines  which  she 
thought  were  efficacious.  This  book,  a  folio 
of  127  pages,  is  also  kept  in  the  Court  Li- 
brary of  Vienna,  while  in  the  archives  of 
Innsbruck  more  than  fifty  petitions  are  pre- 
served, directed  to  her  from  rich  and  poor, 
asking  for  favours  of  various  kinds.  She  took 
special  delight  in  surprising  young  women 
by  giving  them  their  wedding-dresses. 

Especially  did  she  pride  herself  on  her 
cooking,  and  actually  wrote  a  cook-book. 
Hence  she  has  her  place  in  literature,  as  well 
as  in  romance.  She  was  one  of  the  first  of 
that  long  line  of  ladies  who  have  found  pleas- 
ure in  putting  down  their  recipes.  Her 
cook-book,  with  its  136  pages,  reposes  with  the 
above  mentioned  documents  in  the  Court 
Library  of  Vienna. 

I  quote  the  following  recipe,  to  show  how 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Philippine  used  to  make  a  "  Black  Torte," 
for  Ferdinand.  "  You  begin  by  taking  eight 
to  fourteen  pears,  according  as  they  are  large 
or  small,  then  roast  them,  until  they  are  soft, 
but  not  burned.  Do  the  same  with  a  quince, 
which  will  need  more  time,  because  it  is 
harder.  These  fruits  are  then  carefully 
peeled  and  pared,  and  placed  in  a  pint  dish, 
half-full  of  milk.  Add  nine  eggs  (yolk  and 
white),  sugar  (rather  too  much  than  too  lit- 
tle), and  half  a  measure  of  grated  almonds, 
making  sure  that  there  are  no  bitter  ones 
among  them.  Force  this  mixture  through  a 
sieve,  add  cinnamon  bark,  cloves,  pepper,  gin- 
ger, and  nutmeg,  according  to  taste.  The 
whole  is  served  on  a  crust  as  thin  as  paper; 
finally,  a  frosting  made  of  rose-water,  white  of 
egg,  and  sugar  is  poured  on  top."  This  is  one 
of  the  simpler  recipes  in  the  cook-book; 
others  are  marvels  of  even  greater  complexity. 
Altogether,  considerable  state  was  kept  up 
at  Ambras,  and  there  was  much  entertaining 
of  one  kind  or  another.  The  castle  sheltered 
not  only  the  usual  assortment  of  servants, 
pages,  and  ladies  in  waiting,  but  also  artists, 
scholars,  clowns,  giants,  and  dwarfs.  At  one 
time  even  some  Turkish  prisoners  were  sta- 
tioned there.  Philippine  had  an  enormous 

42 


Philippine  Welser 

larder  to  keep  stocked,  and  Ferdinand  was 
ready  to  expend  vast  sums  on  festivities, 
dances,  banquets,  mummeries,  comedies,  tour- 
naments, and  hunting  expeditions.  He  also 
amused  himself  in  a  well-furnished  workshop 
in  hammering  gold  and  silver,  or  in  turning 
objects  of  wood.  He  could  even  blow  glass 
and  cast  metal. 

Philippine  was  in  frequent  communication 
with  the  Bavarian  and  Florentine  courts. 
Sometimes  she  would  send  the  Duke  Al- 
phonso  of  Ferrara  good  things  to  eat,  such 
as  pots  of  preserves,  Preisselbeeren,  etc.  Then 
the  duke  would  retort  with  a  present  of  fine 
hunting  dogs.  Philippine  managed  to  get 
on  very  well  with  Ferdinand's  ducal  sisters, 
and  Ferdinand  was  very  good  to  her  people, 
although  some  of  the  latter  apparently  tried 
to  make  his  life  a  burden  by  constant  appeals 
for  money  and  place. 

From  1570  to  1580  the  mistress  of  Ambras 
suffered  from  recurring  attacks  of  sickness. 
On  the  24th  of  April,  in  the  latter  year,  she 
finally  succumbed  and  died,  attended  by  her 
husband,  her  sons,  and  many  friends,  for  each 
of  whom  she  had  a  kind  word.  At  the  last 
she  is  reported  to  have  looked  up  and  smiled. 
"Why  do  you  smile?"  asked  Ferdinand. 

43 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

"  I  see  something  which  pleases  me,"  she 
answered,  simply,  and  with  this  happy 
thought  we  may  close  the  recital  of  her 
earthly  career.  News  of  her  death  was  sent 
at  once  to  the  various  European  courts,  and 
in  Innsbruck  her  many  modest  friends  and 
beneficiaries  mourned  for  her  greatly  and 
long  missed  her  sweet  presence. 

Her  will  stipulated  a  great  number  of 
bequests  which  Ferdinand  executed  scrupu- 
lously. Her  body  lies  buried  in  the  Silver 
Chapel  of  the  Hofkirche  at  Innsbruck.  A 
mass  of  traditions  and  anecdotes  quickly  clus- 
tered around  the  figure  of  Philippine  Welser, 
but  we  can  best  read  her  simple  career  in  the 
souvenirs  of  the  Ferdinandeum  in  Innsbruck, 
or  in  the  Court  Library  of  Vienna.  Her 
prayer-book,  cook-book,  and  medicine-book 
tell  their  stories.  The  cradle  of  her  children 
tells  another.  A  tournament  favour  em- 
broidered by  her,  a  little  desk,  and  even  a 
leather  case,  containing  knife  and  fork  and 
spoon,  her  Essbesteck,  all  these  bring  her 
daily  life  before  us. 

Hers  was  truly  a  sweet  and  capable  indi- 
viduality, graced  by  much  beauty  of  thought 
and  gentle  serenity  of  disposition. 


44 


CHAPTER    VI 

THE  VORARLBERG  APPROACH 

As  you  journey  from  Switzerland  to  Inns- 
bruck you  pass  through  the  Vorarlberg,  a 
small  Austrian  crown  land.  The  name  Vor- 
arlberg means  very  simply  "  Before-the- 
Arlberg,"  and  includes  all  that  is  Austrian 
on  the  westward  side  of  the  Arlberg  Pass  — 
with  the  exception  of  the  tiny  vassal  state  of 
Liechtenstein.  The  summit  of  the  Arlberg 
Pass  forms  the  watershed  between  the  Rhine 
and  the  Danube.  The  crown  land  is  adminis- 
tered from  Innsbruck  in  combination  with 
the  Tyrol.  There  is  the  same  Statthalter,  or 
imperial  and  royal  governor,  for  them  both, 
and  the  official  documents  are  issued  "  For 
Tyrol  and  Vorarlberg."  The  latter  also  sends 
representatives  to  the  Landtag  at  Innsbruck. 

There  was  an  historic  moment  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  fifteenth  century,  when  the 
Vorarlberg,  and  a  part  of  the  Tyrol,  too,  came 
very  near  joining  the  Swiss  Confederation. 

45 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

It  was  just  after  the  mountaineers  of  Appen- 
zell  and  St.  Gallen  had  thrown  off  allegiance 
to  their  abbot,  and  had  beaten  back  the  house 
of  Habsburg  at  the  battle  of  the  Stoss. 

In  alliance  with  the  men  of  Schwiz,  these 
mountaineers  of  Appenzell  then  crossed  the 
Rhine  valley  and  plunged  into  the  Eastern 
Alps,  crying  liberty  to  the  peasantry  there, 
and  destroying  the  castles  of  the  nobility.  In 
fact,  Ital  Reding  of  Schwiz  had  planned  a 
new  Alpine  Peasant  Republic.  All  Vorarl- 
berg  and  Western  Tyrol  had  already  taken 
the  oath  of  allegiance,  and  the  machinery  of 
the  feudal  system  had  practically  broken 
down,  showing  itself  temporarily  powerless 
to  check  the  aspirations  of  this  League  of  the 
People,  when  there  occurred  one  of  those 
strange  reversals  which  history  shows  can 
hinge  on  very  small  matters. 

In  January  of  1408,  a  body  of  the  men  of 
Appenzell  lay  before  Bregenz  under  the  lead- 
ership of  a  certain  captain  from  Schwiz. 
Here  they  were  surprised  and  defeated  by  an 
army  of  Swabian  knights,  in  league  with 
Austria.  This  comparatively  insignificant 
loss  resulted  in  breaking  the  backbone  of  the 
Appenzell  movement. 

In  the  end,  the  League  of  the  People  was 


The   Vorarlberg  Approach 

dissolved  by  imperial  sentence;  the  men  of 
Appenzell  withdrew  once  more  to  their 
mountains,  and  were  admitted  into  partial 
membership  within  the  Swiss  Confederation; 
while  the  Vorarlberg,  with  the  Western 
Tyrol,  returned  to  the  rule  of  Habsburg- 
Austria. 

The  Bregenzerwald 

The  northern  part  of  the  Vorarlberg  is 
called  the  Bregenzerwald.  It  is  a  well- 
wooded  region,  rolling  and  crossed  by  tor- 
rents, a  region,  too,  of  soft  slopes,  given  over 
to  cattle  raising  and  dairying.  It  has  been 
named  the  Austrian  Black  Forest.  There  is 
an  Outer  and  Inner  district,  just  as  Appenzell 
has  its  Outer  and  Inner  Rhoden.  Near 
Bezau,  in  the  Inner  district,  stands  a  me- 
morial which  shows  how  closely  the  political 
organization  of  the  Bregenzerwald  peasantry 
once  resembled  that  of  their  neighbours,  the 
Swiss. 

A  Gothic  column  marks  the  spot  where 
an  ancient  council-chamber  formerly  stood. 
There  the  "  popularly  elected  Landammann 
and  Council  of  the  Inner  Bregenzer  Wald  " 
made  laws  for  the  people.  A  simple  wooden 
house  stood  on  four  wooden  columns.  The 

47 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

councillors  mounted  by  a  ladder,  and  then  the 
ladder  was  withdrawn.  It  was  not  put  back 
until  the  councillors  had  come  to  an  agree- 
ment. 

There  was  a  chief  magistrate  called  the 
Landammann,  as  in  the  pastoral  Cantons  of 
Switzerland  to-day;  with  him  were  asso- 
ciated a  Landschreiber,  or  secretary,  and 
Waibel,  or  sheriff,  and  twenty-four  council- 
lors. Then  there  were  forty-eight  representa- 
tives from  the  different  Gemeinden,  or  par- 
ishes. The  election  of  the  Landammann  took 
place  in  a  large  field  near  Andelsbuch. 

This  method  of  direct  democracy  and  pure 
self-government  lasted  for  centuries,  until 
1807,  when  the  wooden  house  disappeared. 
At  present  Bezau  is  only  the  seat  of  a  district 
court. 

Angelika  Kaufmann  (1740-1807) 

The  village  of  Schwarzenberg,  close  by 
Bezau,  was  the  home  of  Angelika  Kaufmann's 
parents.  "  Miss  Angel,"  herself,  as  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds  used  to  call  her,  was  born  in  Chur, 
Switzerland,  and  died  in  Rome. 

The  parish  church  contains  an  altar-piece 
by  her,  and  a  marble  bust  of  her  stands  in  the 


The  Vorarlberg  Approach 

left  aisle.  A  pretty  outlook  hill  near  Schwar- 
zenberg  has  been  called  the  Angelikahohe. 
So,  too,  at  Bezau  there  is  a  house  with  eight 
pictures  by  her,  which  may  be  seen  for  a  fee. 

Her  father,  John  Joseph  Kaufmann,  was  a 
painter,  and  little  Maria  Anne  Angelika 
Catherine,  to  give  her  full  name,  very  early 
proved  her  talent.  At  twelve  she  was  already 
painting  the  portraits  of  persons  of  distinction, 
and  at  fourteen  she  was  studying  the  old 
masters  at  Milan. 

She  visited  Rome,  Bologna,  and  Venice. 
In  Rome,  especially,  she  enjoyed  great  popu- 
larity not  only  on  account  of  her  talent  as  a 
painter,  but  also  by  reason  of  her  personal 
charms.  Lady  Wentworth,  the  wife  of  the 
English  ambassador  in  Rome,  persuaded  her 
to  go  to  London. 

Angelika  Kaufmann  was  twenty-five  when 
she  made  her  appearance  in  England,  in  1765. 
Among  her  most  noted  portraits  were  those 
of  Garrick,  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  and  Lady 
Hamilton.  In  the  first  catalogue  of  the  Royal 
Academy,  that  of  1769,  her  name  was  fol- 
lowed by  an  R.  A.  Reynolds,  especially,  be- 
friended her.  In  his  pocket-diary  her  name 
appears  as  Miss  Angelica,  or  Miss  Angel. 
Royalty  smiled  upon  her.  She  was  appointed 

49 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

with  others  to  decorate  St.  Paul's.  She  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  Royal  Academy,  prin- 
cipally in  the  way  of  classical  and  allegorical 
subjects. 

The  last  twenty-five  years  of  her  life  were 
spent  in  Rome,  and,  when  she  died,  in  1807, 
she  was  honoured  by  a  great  funeral  under  the 
direction  of  Canova. 

"  The  entire  Academy  of  St.  Luke's,  with 
ecclesiastics  and  virtuosi,  followed  her  to 
the  tomb  in  St.  Andrea  delle  Frate,  and,  as 
at  the  burial  of  Raphael,  two  of  her  best  pic- 
tures were  carried  in  the  procession." 

Her  pictures  are  to-day  found  widely  scat- 
tered, in  London,  Paris,  Dresden,  St.  Peters- 
burg, and  Munich.  Three  portraits  of  herself 
have  retained  a  certain  popularity,  one  in 
the  Munich  Pinakothek,  another  in  the  Uffizi 
at  Florence,  and  a  third  in  the  National  Por- 
trait Gallery  of  South  Kensington. 

Landeck 

Between  Feldkirch  and  Mayenfeld  lies 
the  station  of  Schaan.  It  gives  access  to 
Vaduz,  the  capital  of  the  independent 
principality  of  Liechtenstein,  which  con- 
tains forty-two  square  miles,  and  ten  thousand 

50 


The  yorarlberg  Approach 

inhabitants;  has  a  prince  who  is  a  vassal  of 
Austria,  a  legislature  of  fifteen  members,  — 
and  no  taxes. 

In  the  valley  of  the  young  Rhine  meadows 
and  fields  of  American  corn  alternate  with 
swamps  and  beds  of  gravel.  There  are  mon- 
strous mountains  to  right  and  left;  they  cul- 
minate in  torn  teeth,  and  their  walls  are  blank 
and  staring. 

As  far  as  Feldkirch,  the  train  travels,  gen- 
erally speaking,  within  sight  of  the  Rhine, 
which  forms  the  boundary  between  Switzer- 
land and  Austria.  There,  however,  it  turns 
eastward  to  climb  over  the  Arlberg  to  Inns- 
bruck. It  mounts  by  successive  curves  and 
tunnels  over  embankments  and  bridges  to  the 
Arlberg  Tunnel.  Thence  it  descends  with 
equal  care  on  the  other  side  to  Landeck. 

At  Landeck,  that  "  Corner-of-land"  we 
meet  another  much  frequented  approach  from 
Switzerland:  the  Finstermunz  carriage-road 
from  the  valley  of  the  Engadine. 

Hence  it  happens  that  Landeck  is  often  the 
first  place  of  any  size  which  the  tourist  sees 
in  the  Tyrol.  Strictly  speaking,  it  is  a  village, 
but  so  large  a  one  that  it  looks  more  like  a 
town.  The  old  fortress  has  lost  much  of  its 
value  since  the  alliance  between  Austria  and 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Germany,  so  that  nowadays  Landeck  is  prized 
more  as  a  railroad  station  than  as  a  strategic 
point.  The  big  church  is  decorated  in  a 
modern  way  with  glass  windows  from  Inns- 
bruck and  Munich,  and  on  the  open  valley 
floor  fertile  crops  wave  in  the  Alpine  air. 

The  Finstermunz  is  the  tailing-off  of  the 
Engadine.  It  is  a  canon-like  gorge,  at  the 
base  of  which  the  Inn  flows  turbulently,  and 
seeks  an  outlet  from  Swiss  upon  Austrian  soil. 
The  road  runs  along  the  face  of  the  bare  wall 
with  an  air  of  great  skill  and  not  a  little 
bravado.  Altogether,  it  affords  one  of  the 
choicest  sights  in  the  Alps  and  is  characterized 
by  a  keen  and  grim  daring  which  is  height- 
ened by  the  fortifications  that  are  still  main- 
tained. 

After  Landeck,  Imst  deserves  mention  on 
account  of  an  industry  which  flourished  there 
during  the  eighteenth  century.  It  was  the 
centre  of  a  great  trade  in  canaries.  Dealers 
in  these  birds  found  their  way  from  Imst  as 
far  as  Constantinople.  There  was  even  a 
regular  depot  for  them  in  Moorefield  Square, 
in  London.  Spindler's  romance  of  the 
"  Vogelhandler  "  is  said  to  give  a  good  pic- 
ture of  this  trade  in  its  heyday. 


CHAPTER   VII 

DOWN    THE    VALLEY    OF    THE    INN 

THIS  trip  takes  us  from  the  capital  of  the 
Tyrol  down  to  the  farthest  tip  of  the  province, 
where  the  Inn  slips  from  our  sight  into 
Bavaria.  We  follow  the  course  of  the  stream, 
attracted  by  the  pale  horizon,  the  mountains 
apparently  meeting  at  times,  but  always  mov- 
ing apart  as  we  approach.  The  floor  of  the 
valley  is  sown  with  strips  of  different  crops, 
like  a  quilt  of  many  colours.  White  church 
towers  mark  the  towns,  castle  turrets  dot  the 
countryside,  and  noble  forests  flank  the  val- 
ley on  either  side  with  their  stately  presence. 

Every  gradation  in  the  Alps  has  its  distinct- 
ive charms.  Those  visitors  who  do  not  mount 
to  the  topmost  peaks  to  clamber  among  the 
everlasting  snows,  may  find  their  solace  in  the 
wonderful  wastes  of  stone,  in  the  summer  pas- 
tures, or  in  the  forests  of  pine  on  the  slopes. 
One  need  ascend  no  higher  than  the  lower 

53 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

woods  to  enjoy  a  great  measure  of  pleasure 
and  profit  from  a  stay  in  alpine  regions. 

Many  a  spot  will  be  found  where  noble 
beech-trees  abound,  rearing  their  smooth  gray 
trunks  amid  the  tender  green  of  their  foliage. 
At  their  bases  and  in  the  sockets  of  their 
branches  these  beeches  are  adorned  with  rich 
green  moss  of  opulent  depth  and  smoothness 
well  designed  to  set  off  the  gentle  mouse 
colour  of  the  trunks.  Elsewhere  larches 
spread  their  pale  green  lace-work  to  the  sky, 
and  carpet  the  ground  with  fragrant  needles. 

Beneath  the  trees  hypaticas  and  anemones 
dot  the  ground  in  spring,  and  in  places  fa- 
voured by  woodland  rills  and  quiet  pools 
sweet-smelling  cyclamen  balance  themselves 
gracefully  on  their  stems  and  nod  to  the  way- 
ward breeze. 

It  is  pleasant,  too,  to  wrest  a  secret  from 
the  cyclamen  plant,  and  to  find  the  under  side 
of  its  smooth  green  leaves  resplendent  with 
a  fine  and  noble  red. 

A  multitude  of  joyous  surprises  lie  along 
the  paths  in  the  lower  woods.  Wild  straw- 
berries, blackberries,  and  huckleberries  bloom, 
blossom,  and  ripen  in  their  seasons.  Mush- 
rooms are  there  for  those  who  understand 
them.  A  great  variety  of  lovely  butterflies 

54 


Down  the  Valley  of  the  Inn 

spread  their  wings  and  hover  over  the  flowers 
of  the  forest  glades.  Red  squirrels,  with  sharp- 
pointed  ears,  dart  and  dangle  among  the 
interlacing  branches,  or  stop  to  scold  from 
their  points  of  vantage.  Ever  and  anon  also 
in  these  lower  woods  of  the  Alps  the  cuckoo 
calls  rhythmically  and  systematically  from 
his  hiding-places,  and  gives  a  characteristic 
note  ever  after  to  be  associated  with  the 
forest  landscape. 

Hall 

Hall  is  "  the  Niirnberg  of  the  Tyrol,"  a  tiny 
pocket  edition  of  the  big  Bavarian  folio.  The 
town  for  a  time  seemed  to  present  a  case  of 
arrested  development.  It  stopped  growing 
in  the  sixteenth  century,  like  many  another 
Tyrolese  town,  and  we  see  it  to-day  very  much 
as  it  was  then,  quaint  and  compact,  with 
mediaeval  accoutrements. 

A  steep  little  street  leads  to  the  heart  of 
the  miniature  municipality,  to  the  principal 
square,  where  the  Rathhaus  and  the  great 
parish  church  stand  facing  each  other.  As 
for  peaked  roofs,  jutting  balconies,  swinging 
signs,  street  fountains,  carved  doorways,  Hall 
abounds  in  them  all,  to  the  delight  of  the  anti- 
quarians, historians,  artists,  and  tourists  alike. 

55 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

But  Hall  is  also  now  feeling  the  rejuve- 
nating and  awakening  spirit  of  modern  enter- 
prise, as  witness  the  steam  tram  which 
connects  it  with  Innsbruck,  and  the  excel- 
lent water-works  and  electric  lights  which 
have  been  installed. 

Certain  salt  mines  in  the  mountains  at  the 
back  gave  Hall  a  start  in  life.  For  more  than 
a  thousand  years  salt  has  been  mined  there. 
Then  Hall  was  also  the  head  of  navigation  on 
the  Inn.  Boats  came  up  the  Danube  into  the 
Inn,  and  thence  as  far  as  Hall,  where  mer- 
chandise was  transferred  to  carts.  Many 
hundred  men  and  horses  were  regularly  em- 
ployed in  this  primitive  method  of  transporta- 
tion. A  certain  Joseph  Pirnsyder  had  a 
printing-press  here  as  early  as  1524,  that 
being  the  first  printing-press  in  the  Tyrol. 

Hall  was,  furthermore,  the  seat  of  a  Tyro- 
lese  mint,  in  evidence  of  which  a  delightful 
old  tower  called  the  Munzerthurm  still  stands 
not  far  from  the  station.  In  1809  Andreas 
Hofer  minted  his  so-called  "  Hofer-Zwan- 
ziger"  here. 

The  town  archives,  which  are  said  to  be 
unusually  rich,  show  that  Hall  was  in  the 
full  blast  of  its  activity  during  the  fifteenth 
century,  when  the  traffic  from  Venice  to 

56 


MUNZERTHURM   IN    HALL 


Down  the  Valley  of  the  Inn 

Germany  passed  through  the  town,  and  when 
the  salt  mines  were  being  worked  under  full 
pressure.  In  those  days  even  the  courts  of 
justice  were  opened  with  feasts  of  eating  and 
drinking.  Emperor  Maximilian  was  often 
within  hailing  distance,  and  was  frequently 
prevailed  upon  to  grace  the  flourishing  town 
with  his  imperial  presence. 

The  end  of  Hall's  feudal  prosperity  came 
on  slowly  during  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
centuries,  with  the  decay  of  the  mining  in- 
dustry, and  with  a  change  in  trade  routes. 
To-day  Hall  is  reviving  slowly  and  placing 
itself  upon  a  modern  basis.  It  contains  active, 
loyal,  and  devoted  citizens,  who  are  filled 
with  the  spirit  of  enterprise,  and  desire  to 
see  their  native  town  take  a  prominent  part 
in  performing  the  great  tasks  toward  which 
the  Tyrol  is  steadily  advancing. 

Jakob  Stainer,  Violin  Maker  (l62I  -  1683) 

Absam  is  a  village  near  Hall,  on  a  height 
to  the  north.  Here  Jakob  Stainer,  "  the 
father  of  the  German  violin,"  was  born  in 
1621. 

Little  is  known  of  his  life,  and  apparently 
nothing  at  all  of  the  manner  in  which  he 

57 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

learned  to  make  violins.  Stories  of  his  visits 
to  Venice  or  Cremona  lack  historical  founda- 
tion, but  it  is  known  that  when  Stainer  was  a 
young  man,  the  ducal  court  at  Innsbruck  was 
particularly  hospitable  to  Italian  artists  and 
musicians.  He  may,  therefore,  have  become 
acquainted  with  one  of  the  violinists  stationed 
there,  and  may  have  started  his  life-work  by 
imitating  an  Italian  instrument.  There  is 
reason  to  believe  that  Stainer's  first  model 
was  an  Amati,  but  he  undoubtedly  developed 
a  form  of  his  own,  as  he  progressed  in  work- 
manship. 

One  thing  is  certain,  namely,  that  in  1641, 
when  Stainer  was  only  twenty  years  of  age,  he 
was  already  peddling  his  violins  about  the 
fairs  at  Hall,  selling  them  for  six  florins 
apiece. 

At  one  time  a  prosperous  future  seemed 
to  stretch  before  him,  after  Archduke  Ferdi- 
nand Karl  had  called  him  to  Innsbruck,  and 
named  him  violin  maker  to  the  ducal  court. 
Later  in  life  he  was  created  violin  maker  to 
the  imperial  court  by  Emperor  Leopold  I., 
but  nothing  seemed  to  be  able  to  keep  him 
out  of  debt,  or  to  overcome  his  dire  poverty 
and  want.  He  was  constantly  harassed  and 
hampered  by  want  of  funds,  and  at  length 

58 


Down  the  Valley  of  the  Inn 

was  actually  dismissed  from  his  much-cher- 
ished official  positions.  When  he  wrote  to 
the  emperor  in  his  troubles,  the  latter  refused 
to  help  him.  At  length  the  violin  maker, 
overwhelmed  by  his  cares,  stopped  work,  and 
died  in  a  pitiable  condition  in  1683,  but  his 
good  work  survived  him  and  made  his  name 
honoured  and  respected.  To-day  a  genuine 
Stainer  is  a  highly  prized  possession,  and 
through  the  sweet  and  noble  tone  of  the  in- 
struments he  produced,  the  poor  violin  maker 
left  a  rich  legacy,  and  earned  the  lasting 
gratitude  of  many  friends. 

Fortunately,  Stainer  worked  diligently,  and 
turned  out  many  violins.  He  was  especially 
careful  in  selecting  the  wood  for  his  instru- 
ments. Indeed,  the  pains  which  he  took  in 
this  matter  are  astonishing.  He  would  wander 
for  days  in  the  forests  back  of  Absam,  study- 
ing the  trees.  As  a  rule,  he  chose  mellow, 
old  ones,  which  were  already  beginning  to 
die  of!  at  the  top.  Before  he  felled  them, 
he  would  always  strike  their  trunks  with  a 
hammer  in  order  to  try  the  tone.  But 
Stainer  had  also  observed,  what  is  familiar 
to  every  mountaineer,  that  tree-trunks,  in  com- 
ing down  the  lumber  slides,  give  forth  sing- 
ing notes  as  they  strike  against  obstacles. 

59 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Stainer  used  to  listen  near  these  lumber  slides, 
and  then  pick  out  for  his  purpose  the  trees  that 
sang  best.  For  certain  parts  of  the  violin,  he 
preferred  to  use  the  seasoned  wood  of  old 
doors  or  tables. 

Stainer  also  introduced  innovations  in  the 
construction  of  the  violin.  The  tops  of  his 
instruments  are  more  highly  curved  than  the 
Italian  types.  If  a  genuine  Stainer  is  held 
sideways,  and  one  looks  into  one  of  the  / 
holes,  one  ought  to  be  able  to  look  out  through 
the  other.  These  /  holes  are  also  a  trifle 
shorter  than  is  usual  in  violins,  and  their  end 
points  are  quite  round.  It  is  said  that  Stainer's 
changes  made  the  vibrations  in  the  instru- 
ment describe  an  ellipse  instead  of  a  circle, 
as  had  been  the  case  before. 

Connoisseurs  claim  that  the  tone  of  a  genu- 
ine Stainer  is  more  flutelike,  more  sympathetic 
and  singing  than  that  of  an  Italian  violin, 
while  the  latter  is  conceded  to  be  more  bril- 
liant, and  in  general,  better  suited  to  resound 
in  concert  halls. 

Mozart  is  reported  to  have  owned  a  Stainer. 
The  instrument  bore  the  maker's  name,  and 
the  date  1656.  Many  imitators  arose  after 
Stainer's  death.  Klotz,  a  pupil  of  Stainer, 
turned  out  many  copies  of  his  master's  work 

60 


Down  the  Valley  of  the  Inn 

from  Mittenwald,  a  village  just  over  the 
frontier  in  Bavaria,  not  far  from  Oberam- 
mergau.  To  this  day  the  chief  industry  of 
Mittenwald  is  the  manufacture  of  violins  and 
guitars,  which  are  exported  in  considerable 
quantities  to  England  and  the  United  States. 
Even  Cremona,  it  is  alleged,  did  not  think  it 
beneath  her  dignity  to  send  out  false  Stainers. 
Violin  experts  of  to-day  have  no  easy  task, 
therefore,  in  separating  the  spurious  from 
the  genuine  Stainers,  but  whatever  their  suc- 
cess, it  remains  a  curious  commentary  upon 
modern  improvements  that  the  form  of  the 
violin  has  hardly  varied  at  all  in  all  its  his- 
tory, and  that  the  older  the  instrument  the 
better  it  grows,  the  sweeter,  the  nobler,  and 
the  more  sympathetic  its  tone. 

Joseph  Speckbacher  (1767-1820) 

The  second  in  the  trio  of  heroes  in  the  war 
of  1809  was  Joseph  Speckbacher,  who  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  the  Gnadenwald,  back  of 
Hall.  His  father  was  a  well-to-do  peasant. 
Young  Speckbacher  earned  some  notoriety 
as  a  poacher,  then  settled  down  on  a  farm  at 
Rinn,  in  the  Mittelgebirge,  almost  opposite 
Hall.  The  house  of  this  "Man  of  Rinn" 

61 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

is  about  half  an  hour's  walk  from  the  Baths 
of  Rinn. 

The  facts  in  his  life  which  are  of  historic 
interest,  may  be  summed  up  very  briefly. 

He  threw  himself  into  the  struggle  of  1809 
with  fiery  enthusiasm.  The  Tyrolese  histo- 
rian, Zingerle,  says  that  he  represented  the 
strategic  and  intellectual  side  of  the  insur- 
rection, as  Hofer  represented  the  patriarchal, 
and  Haspinger  the  ecclesiastical.  His  early 
poaching  made  him  an  ideal  leader  of  sharp- 
shooters. He  fought  with  more  or  less  suc- 
cess until  he  was  disastrously  defeated  on 
October  17,  1809,  at  Melegg,  on  the  road  to 
Reichenhall.  Here  his  forces  were  com- 
pletely routed  by  the  Bavarians,  he  himself 
severely  wounded  in  the  ensuing  hand-to-hand 
struggle,  and  his  little  son,  Anderl  (Andrew), 
taken  prisoner.  King  Max  of  Bavaria  him- 
self took  charge  of  the  boy,  and  had  him 
educated  for  seven  years  at  his  own  expense. 
At  the  time  of  his  defeat,  Speckbacher  barely 
escaped  to  his  farm  at  Rinn,  and  remained 
in  hiding  there  for  seven  weeks  before  he 
could  escape  from  the  Tyrol. 

Many  conflicting  accounts  concerning  the 
leader's  sufferings  and  wanderings  found 
their  way  into  print,  but  Doctor  Steub,  an 

62 


Down  the  Valley  of  the  Inn 

enthusiastic  and  indefatigable  traveller  in  the 
Tyrol,  took  pains  to  extract  the  truth  from 
Speckbacher's  own  descendants,  and  has  set 
down  the  result  in  his  interesting  work. 

It  appears  that  Bavarian  soldiers  were 
actually  quartered  in  Speckbacher's  house 
during  the  whole  period  of  his  concealment. 
He  took  refuge  in  a  pit  under  his  house.  It 
was  about  four  feet  deep,  and  he  could  only 
hide  there  in  a  sitting  posture.  His  wife,  the 
doctor  of  the  village,  and  two  neighbours 
alone  knew  of  his  presence.  He  would  move 
out  of  his  hiding-place  when  the  soldiers  went 
off  to  drill  in  the  village  of  Rinn.  After  his 
broken  rib  (a  wound  received  at  Melegg) 
healed,  /.  e.,  in  about  three  weeks,  he  took 
shelter  in  the  sheep  stall,  and  finally,  toward 
the  first  of  May,  after  many  narrow  escapes, 
managed  to  cross  the  frontier  into  the  Prov- 
ince of  Austria,  where  he  was  well  received 
and  rewarded. 

In  1814,  when  the  war  was  over,  Speck- 
bacher  returned  to  Rinn,  sold  the  farm,  and 
settled  in  near-by  Hall  with  his  wife.  He 
was  now  a  real  major,  retired,  on  a  pension 
of  a  thousand  gulden  a  year.  Here  he  spent 
six  quiet  years,  until  his  death,  in  1820. 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

He  was  generally  well  pleased  to  talk  over  his 
stirring  career. 

In  1870,  Doctor  Steub  was  fortunate 
enough  to  hear  some  further  details  of  Speck- 
bacher's  life  from  the  parish  priest  of  Rat- 
tenberg,  F.  X.  Asher,  who  spent  several  years 
in  Speckbacher's  house  at  Hall. 

It  appears  from  this  account  that  Speck- 
bacher  was  present  in  Vienna  at  the  great 
Congress  of  1815.  When  King  Max  of 
Bavaria  arrived  in  that  city,  the  Emperor 
Francis  of  Austria  said  to  Speckbacher: 
"  You  must  go  to  the  King  of  Bavaria  and 
thank  him  for  having  had  your  boy  learn 
something."  The  emperor  addressed  Speck- 
bacher with  the  familiar  du,  which  pleased 
the  sharpshooter  immensely;  so  did  the 
present  of  a  golden  medal  and  fifty  ducats. 
Speckbacher  thanked  King  Max  as  he  had 
been  told  to  do,  and  King  Max  generously 
said: 

"  Enter  my  service  as  a  major  and  I  will 
promote  you  at  once  to  be  a  general.  Leave 
your  son;  he  will  do  better  in  Bavaria  than 
in  Austria." 

Speckbacher  thanked  the  king  for  his  kind 
intentions,  but  declined  the  honours.  In  our 
own  day  a  play  entitled  "  Speckbacher "  is 

64 


THE    LIVING  -  ROOM    IN    THE    CASTLE    OF    TRATZBERG 


Down  the  Valley  of  the  Inn 

enacted  in  the  big  village  of  Brixlegg  during 
the  summer  season. 


Toward  Kufstein 

In  our  progress  down  the  valley  of  the  Inn 
to  Kufstein,  we  pass  a  succession  of  attractive 
and  interesting  places  where  the  traveller 
will  do  well  to  linger  for  a  closer  acquaint- 
ance. The  old  town  of  Schwaz,  across  the 
river  from  the  railroad,  once  contained  some 
thirty  thousand  inhabitants,  and  its  silver 
mines  greatly  enriched  the  princes  of  the 
Tyrol.  To-day  only  a  little  iron  and  copper 
mining  remains  to  tell  the  tale  of  former  work 
and  wealth. 

A  little  farther  along  a  sudden  opening  in 
the  mountains  appears  on  the  left,  and  high 
up  against  the  green  of  the  forest  are  seen  a 
white  church  and  house,  perched  upon  a  pre- 
cipitous crag.  That  is  St.  Georgenberg,  an 
ideally  placed  pilgrimage  resort. 

Below  Schwaz  the  castle  of  Tratzberg 
rises  on  the  left,  one  of  the  most  imposing  of 
Tyrol's  many  castles,  as  well  as  one  of  the 
richest  in  antiquities  and  objects  of  art. 

Now  Jenbach  looms  in  the  distance,  and  two 
new  valleys  open  on  either  hand:  one  to  the 

65 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

\ 

north,  leading  to  the  Achensee,  and  another 
to  the  Zillerthal  on  the  south. 

For  the  present  let  us  keep  straight  on  down 
the  valley  of  the  Inn. 

Just  before  Brixlegg  is  reached  three  castles 
start  up  on  our  right:  Kropfsberg,  Lichtwer, 
and  Matzen.  The  last  is  the  property  of  Mr. 
Baillie-Grohman,  whose  book  on  "  Tyrol  and 
the  Tyrolese  "  has  done  so  much  to  familiar- 
ize English-speaking  travellers  with  land  and 
people. 

Brixlegg  itself  has  attracted  attention  in 
recent  years  on  account  of  its  Passion  Play, 
which  is  given  there  periodically.  The  play 
has  been  given  in  1868,  1873,  '883,  1889,  and 
1903. 

The  train  passes  under  the  castle  of  Ratten- 
berg,  with  which  place  the  name  of  Wilhelm 
Biener,  Chancellor  of  the  Tyrol  until  1651,  is 
associated.  His  story  has  inspired  Karl  An- 
rather's  large  painting  in  the  Ferdinandeum 
at  Innsbruck,  as  well  as  an  historical  novel, 
"  Der  Kanzler  von  Tyrol,"  by  Hermann 
Schmid. 

After  Rattenberg  there  is  open  ground  for 
awhile,  then  comes  the  railroad  junction  of 
Worgl,  and  finally  at  the  very  end  of  our 
journey  down  the  Inn  stands  Kufstein,  block- 

66 


_ 


Down  the  Valley  of  the  Inn 

ing  the  narrows  of  the  river,  so  that  there  is 
barely  room  for  the  river,  the  carriage  and 
the  railroad  to  pass. 

With  what  wonder  and  delight  does  the  eye 
welcome  the  splendid  and  courageous  little 
city.  It  is  not  possible  to  see  Kufstein  for  the 
first  time  unmoved.  It  belongs  to  the  category 
of  Austrian  cities  with  citadels,  like  Salzburg 
and  Graz.  Though  not  as  large  as  they,  it  yet 
belongs  to  the  class  of  dramatic  and  proudly 
perched  cities  whose  very  aspect  challenges 
attention  and  respect. 

Kufstein's  position  is  eminently  strategic, 
and,  in  fact,  it  has  had  more  than  its  share  of 
sieges  on  account  of  the  curious  hostility 
which  once  existed  between  the  Tyrolese  and 
Bavarians.  This  feeling  has  now  happily 
changed  to  one  of  mutual  good-will  between 
the  allied  German  and  Austrian  empires,  and 
peace  and  prosperity  reign  undisturbed  on  the 
border. 


67 


CHAPTER  VIII 

KITZBUHEL  —  LIFE    ON    THE    ALM 

COME,  my  friend,  the  valleys  seem  too  con- 
fining, and  the  mountains  call.  There  are 
slopes  where  anemones  bloom  and  gentians 
gleam  in  their  full  pride;  where  straying 
bees  flutter  over  the  early  heather,  and  the 
breeze  is  fresh  with  the  keen  tonic  of  the 
mountains.  Come  to  the  summer  pastures, 
smooth  as  velvet,  swelling  and  sinking  in 
monster  billows;  I  know  where  there  are  bare 
crags  casting  jagged  shadows,  and  where  tiny 
huts,  huddled  together  in  basin-like  depres- 
sions, will  give  us  shelter,  and  where  we  can 
study  the  life  on  the  aim,  and  hear  its  songs. 

Kitzbuhel  is  our  starting-place,  and  the 
Kitzbuhelhorn  our  goal. 

Pass  your  stick  between  the  straps  of  your 
Rucksack  as  a  chamois  hunter  carries  his 
rifle.  Then  get  into  the  steady  swing  of  the 
mountaineer  and  lean  well  forward  to  perfect 
your  balance,  for  the  path  is  steep. 

68 


Kitzbiihel 

As  we  mount,  our  figures  pierce  the  morn- 
ing mist  that  clings  to  the  mountainside  in 
thin  streamers.  When  we  have  left  the  last 
groves  of  pine,  and  have  come  out  above  the 
timber  line,  it  is  time  to  stop  for  a  moment 
to  send  a  shout  into  the  valley  below.  Here 
and  beyond  begins  a  new  world;  a  new  air 
fans  the  cheeks  and  new  sounds  come  to  the 
ears.  The  jingling  of  bells  rises  and  falls 
on  the  breeze.  The  cattle  are  being  driven  off 
from  the  huts  to  feed  in  the  open,  to  wander 
all  day  among  the  Alpine  flowers. 

At  the  door  of  the  first  hut  we  stop  for  a 
drink  of  milk.  The  woman  herder  in  charge 
of  the  hut  smiles  pleasantly  as  she  hands  out 
a  shallow  wooden  bucket,  which  serves  as  well 
as  a  glass. 

There  is  no  better  district  in  the  Tyrol  for 
studying  that  life  on  high,  than  the  Kitzbiihel 
range.  Over  the  border,  in  Salzburg,  the 
territory  contiguous  is  equally  profitable.  In 
fact,  the  whole  mountain  group  which  lies 
between  Kitzbiihel,  Saalfelden,  Zell  am  See, 
and  Mittersill,  is  good  ground  for  our  re- 
searches. Here  customs  are  retained  which 
have  disappeared  elsewhere.  Annual  athletic 
contests  are  held  on  certain  plateaux,  whither 
champion  wrestlers  come  from  the  valley  of 

69 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

the  Inn,  the  Pinzgau,  the  Oetzthal,  and  the 
Pusterthal.  The  contest  on  the  Kitzbuhelhorn 
takes  place  every  June,  on  a  level  space  near 
the  mountain  inn. 

The  view  from  the  tiny  white  chapel  on  the 
summit  of  the  Kitzbuhelhorn  is  certainly  one 
of  the  most  paying  for  the  pains. 

The  Hohe  Salve,  though  equally  accessible, 
and  rejoicing  besides  in  the  subtitle  of  "  The 
Rigi  of  the  Lower  Innthal,"  is  not  quite  as 
high  as  the  Kitzbuhelhorn,  and  its  view  does 
not  comprise  quite  so  many  snow  peaks. 

From  the  Kitzbuhelhorn  the  whole  Tauern 
range  gleams  toward  the  south.  So  do  the 
Zillerthal  mountains.  The  Gross  Glockner 
and  the  Gross  Venediger  lie  silver-white  upon 
the  horizon,  like  spring  clouds  resting  upon 
the  west  wind. 

Northward,  the  naked,  gray  Kaisergebirge 
rear  massive  limestone  walls,  bleak  and  bris- 
tling. Down  over  the  edge  from  where  we 
stand,  lies  Kitzbuhel,  the  town.  A  train  on 
the  long  curve  near  the  town,  leaves  a  tail 
of  smoke  behind  it.  There  is  a  thin,  distant 
whistle,  and  a  long-drawn  rumble.  From  the 
lower  woods  comes  the  call  of  the  cuckoo,  a 
recurring  fluty  rhythm,  pulsating  through  the 


70 


THE  KAISERGEBIRGE 

Northward,  the  naked,  gray  Kaiser- 
gebirge  rear  massive  limestone 
walls." 


Kitzbuhel 

atmosphere.  A  peal  of  bells  rings  up  from 
the  parish  church  below. 

The  peculiarity  of  the  Kitzbuhelhorn- 
massif  is,  that  the  pastures  rise  and  fall  for 
miles.  It  is  possible  to  walk  for  days  at  an 
average  altitude  of  about  five  thousand  feet, 
first  to  the  Gaisstein,  then  by  the  Pinzgauer 
Promenade  to  the  Schmittenhohe,  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Salzburg.  This  mountain  group 
forms  a  vast  dairying  summer  resort. 

Stopping  at  another  hut,  we  ask  if  anybody 
plays  the  zither  there.  A  young  herder  is 
pointed  out  to  us,  but  he  shakes  his  head,  and 
will  have  it  that  he  cannot  play.  The  peas- 
ants have  a  way  of  denying  any  accomplish- 
ment, when  first  asked,  but  presently,  after 
some  parleying,  the  herder  takes  down  his 
zither  from  the  wall,  and  begins  to  play.  And 
how  he  enjoys  it,  that  young  fellow!  How  his 
instrument  tingles,  and  the  syncopated  notes 
leap  from  the  ring  on  his  thumb!  Think  of 
making  music  up  there,  above  the  timber  line, 
in  the  full  sunshine,  with  nothing  between  you 
and  the  sky!  Only  the  herds  of  cattle  look 
on,  and  jingle  their  bells  on  the  summer  pas- 
tures. 

Cloudy  days,  too,  have  their  charm  on  the 
aim,  days  when  a  silent  mantle  of  mist  or  haze 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

settles  upon  the  scene,  inviting  meditation  and 
the  sweet  solace  of  an  alpine  quiet.  The  day 
may  have  dawned  surpassingly  fair  and  clear, 
but  suddenly,  from  many  quarters,  the  clouds 
are  detected  creeping  upon  us  like  some 
stealthy  enemy,  to  surround  and  hedge  us  in. 
They  prove  to  be  a  welcome,  kindly  enemy, 
that  means  no  harm.  They  come  from 
around  the  corners  of  the  ridges,  over  the 
mountain  saddles,  and  between  the  peaks. 
They  feel  their  way  along  the  precipices,  and 
advance  fitfully  over  the  green,  halting  once 
and  again  to  scout  and  reconnoitre  the  ground. 
Little  streamers  and  separate  cloudlets  are  sent 
on  ahead,  or  to  the  sides,  and  there  they  hover 
timidly  till  the  main  body  of  clouds  overtakes 
them,  and  the  whole  mass  pushes  forward  to 
capture  the  landscape  with  a  gentle  and  moist 
caress.  The  clouds  blot  out  one  by  one  the 
landmarks  of  the  aim,  the  farther  slopes,  the 
little  alpine  lake,  where  the  cattle  drink,  and 
the  isolated  cedars  that  have  stood  the  storm 
and  stress  of  a  century.  Finally  the  mist  cuts 
off  from  view  the  near-by  huts  and  the  graz- 
ing cattle  as  they  munch  the  damp  grass, 
dotted  with  many  perfumed  flowers.  A 
pleasant  stillness  pervades  the  aim,  a  peace- 
ful, protective  hush  enfolds  it,  until  such  time 

72 


Kitzbuhel 

as  a  clearing  gust  shall  blow  through  the  ra- 
vines. The  clouds  have  for  the  present  brushed 
aside  distracting  sights.  We  seem  to  be  at  sea, 
or  up  in  the  air,  separated  from  the  humdrum 
human  occupations  of  another  world. 

As  we  listen,  there  comes  through  the  mist 
a  measured  jingling  from  the  bells  of  unseen 
cattle.  Close  by  a  cow  gives  her  bell  a  rapid 
rattle  as  she  rubs  against  the  rough  side  of  a 
stable  hut,  or  briskly  switches  off  the  flies. 
The  dull  thud  of  the  strokes  of  an  axe  reaches 
us  from  where  some  one  is  splitting  wood  for 
the  fire,  or  a  herder  calls  to  the  sheep  ranging 
in  the  lofty  recesses  of  the  surrounding  moun- 
tains. 

It  is  a  great  privilege  to  know  the  aim  at 
any  time,  even  in  the  hour  of  the  clouds.  But 
in  the  heights,  clouds  and  mist  do  not  always 
mean  rain,  for  they  come  and  go  uncertainly, 
flitting  and  drifting  before  the  wind.  There 
may  be  the  smell  of  fog,  and  the  touch  of  the 
hand  may  grow  moist,  but  the  dwellers  on  the 
aim  go  about  their  work  unheeding  and  un- 
mindful of  the  change.  A  sudden  break  may 
come  at  any  time,  and  even  while  we  look, 
behold  the  peaks  stand  out  once  more  clean  cut 
against  the  blue,  the  landmarks  of  the  aim 
return  one  by  one  to  view,  and  the  cattle  are 

73 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

seen  again  "browsing  unconcernedly  and  con- 
tentedly just  where  the  clouds  found  them  and 
left  them. 

As  the  day  declines,  the  cows  are  driven  in, 
to  be  milked.  Herds  of  calves  are  shooed  into 
enclosures  for  the  night.  Now  the  children 
also  are  caught  and  put  to  bed,  in  spite  of 
some  remonstrance  on  their  part.  They  are 
mostly  tow-headed  little  things,  the  little  girls 
with  their  hair  in  pigtail  braids,  and  the 
boys  wearing  faded  felt  hats,  ornamented  with 
cock's  feathers.  Women  wash  wooden  pails  at 
a  fountain,  surmounted  by  a  rudely  carved 
figure  of  St.  Florian.  Presently  a  man  is  seen 
making  his  way  cautiously  toward  the  central 
hut,  where  the  cheese  is  made.  He  carries  a 
hod  full  of  fresh  milk.  When  he  has  care- 
fully deposited  his  milk,  the  herders  and  their 
women  take  a  short  rest  on  the  benches  in  front 
of  the  huts,  before  going  to  bed,  while  the 
fountain  trickles  and  gurgles  complacently. 

From  near  by  comes  a  shout  and  a  laugh, 
and  a  man  comes  striding  down  the  mountain 
path.  The  moon  is  up,  and  he  carries  his 
shadow  with  him.  He  is  going  the  way  we 
shall  go  to-morrow,  —  down  the  slopes  to  St. 
Johann-in-Tyrol.  Occasionally  he  disappears 
behind  a  knoll. 

74 


Kitzbuhel 

To  the  south  the  impalpable  snow  moun- 
tains glisten  in  the  faultless  air.  The  cattle, 
after  having  been  milked,  have  been  driven 
off,  and  are  out  for  the  night.  Sometimes  a 
cow,  standing  on  a  projecting  hillock,  bellows 
triumphantly  over  the  scene. 

The  cool  night-wind  draws  through  the 
recesses  of  the  range.  The  footfall  of  the  pass- 
ing herder  can  no  longer  be  heard,  nor  the 
vibration  felt  on  the  sod,  but  after  awhile  a  cry 
comes  from  afar  off,  through  the  Alpine  still- 
ness, a  final  yodel,  tense,  defiant,  and  true, 
but  mellowed  and  refined,  by  the  distance. 
It  is  time  to  turn  in  and  leave,  the  little  flowers 
to  the  gentle  dew,  and  this  blessed  and  benign 
scene  to  the  peace  of  the  end  of  the  day. 


75 


CHAPTER    IX 

THE  ACHENSEE 

THE  Achensee  is  so  very  blue,  that,  by  con- 
trast, the  other  lakes  of  the  Tyrol  would  seem 
to  have  turned  green  with  envy.  The  blue 
of  the  Achensee  has  a  quality  apart,  as  unmis- 
takable as  the  blue  of/ the  gentian  or  the  for- 
get-me-not, when  it  climbs  above  the  timber 
line. 

Among  the  lakes  of  the  Alps,  Lago  di 
Garda,  the  Walensee,  and  Lake  Leman  are 
blue,  yes,  marvellously  blue,  but  the  Achensee 
is  blue  in  its  own  way.  Take  ultramarine  and 
mix  into  it  a  little  of  the  early  morning  sky 
and  the  pure  glitter  of  the  glacier,  and  you 
will  get  the  colour  of  the  Achensee  when  the 
suo  shines. 

A  little  mountain  railroad  climbs  from 
Jenbach  to  Seespitz.  There  are  some  people 
who  never  walk  when  they  can  ride,  but  if  you 
care  to  make  the  ascent  on  foot,  settle  your 
Rucksack  more  firmly  into  the  small  of  your 

76 


The  Achensee 

back,  and  take  the  road  along  the  mountain 
torrent.  You  may  see  much  on  the  way  to 
repay  you  as  you  swing  along. 

At  Seespitz  a  whole  gallery  of  Defregger 
types  walked  into  the  inn  where  I  sat.  They 
were  gamekeepers  from  the  neighbouring 
chamois  preserves  of  the  Duke  of  Coburg. 
Their  tight-fitting  toggery  had  weathered 
into  strange  colours,  their  bare  knees  were 
brown  from  exposure,  and  their  iron-shod 
shoes  made  a  great  clattering  and  scrunching 
on  the  stone  floor. 

The  picture  was  complete,  when  they  laid 
their  rifles  aside,  and  sat  there  smoking  and 
pounding  the  table,  while  some  crooked- 
legged  Dachshund chen  waddled  about,  look- 
ing for  scraps. 

A  steamboat  makes  the  tour  of  the  Achen- 
see,  and  rowboats  of  the  usual  flat-bottomed, 
Alpine  type  can  be  hired  at  the  various  settle- 
ments on  the  shores. 

The  Pertisau  is  a  delta-shaped  pasture  that 
creeps  down  to  the  water's  edge  from  the 
shelter  of  the  mountains.  Here  are  several 
hotels,  notably  the  Fiirstenhaus,  the  property 
of  the  Benedictine  abbey  of  Viecht,  near 
Schwaz.  The  Fiirstenhaus  was  once  a  shoot- 
ing-lodge of  the  princes  of  Tyrol.  The  Abbet 

77 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

of  Viecht  rebuilt  it  into  a  summer  residence, 
and  it  is  now  kept  as  an  open  house  for 
guests. 

Seehof,  across  the  lake,  was  built  by  Lud- 
wig  Rainer,  nephew  of  Joseph  Rainer,  the 
famous  yodeler  from  the  Zillerthal. 

The  Scholastika  Inn,  at  the  upper  end  of 
the  lake,  calls  for  comment.  Its  name  comes 
from  a  certain  good  spinster,  Scholastika, 
niece  of  Anton  Aschbacher,  one  of  the  heroes 
of  the  insurrection  of  1809.  Under  her  care 
the  place  became  quite  famous  as  the  resort 
of  scholars  and  men  of  letters.  Dr.  Ludwig 
Steub  describes  the  life  of  the  inn  during  the 
early  half  of  last  century  as  one  of  great  charm 
and  interest.  The  evening  hours  were  filled 
with  discussions,  when  a  dozen  or  fifteen 
guests  sat  under  the  patriarchal  sway  of  Dr. 
Johann  Schuler  of  Innsbruck. 

The  old  spinster  is  now  long  since  dead,  and 
the  inn  has  grown  into  a  hotel,  as  indeed  the 
Achensee  itself  has  become  one  of  the  most 
important  among  the  show  places  of  the 
Tyrol,  since  the  railroad  brings  an  annual 
stream  of  many  thousand  tourists. 

The  descent  from  Seespitz  to  Jenbach  may 
be  made  by  way  of  Eben,  along  a  pleasant 
foot-path  that  goes  turn  and  turn  about,  over 

78 


The  Achensee 

and  down,  this  way  and  that,  zigzagging  into 
the  green  valley  of  the  Inn  from  the  shores  of 
that  thrice  blue  Achensee,  greatly  blessed  with 
beauty. 


79 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  ZILLERTHAL 
The  Valley  of  Song  and  Dance 

THE  Zillerthal  is  the  valley  of  the  zither 
(music),  the  Schuhplattler  (dance),  and  the 
Schnaderhupfl  (poetry).  Three,  at  least,  of 
the  Muses  are  always  at  home  there  to  their 
friends. 

From  the  village  of  Strass  the  Zillerthal 
stretches  in  a  wide  and  flat  floor  as  far  as 
Maierhofen.  It  is  even  swampy  in  parts,  for 
the  torrent  of  the  Ziller  has  built  up  a  bed  of 
rubble  for  itself  above  the  level  of  the  valley, 
and  a  constant  process  of  infiltration  and 
inundation  has  made  the  valley  floor  spongy 
and  mossy. 

On  either  hand,  however,  the  higher  slopes 
glow  with  velvet  pastures,  and  the  mountains 
wear  their  regulation  clothing  of  green-black 
firs  up  to  their  waists.  The  greeting  of  the 

80 


The  Zillerthal 

people  is  that  genial  "  Gruss  Gott! "  which 
carries  with  it  peace  and  kindliness. 

The  Tyrolese  Yodel 

Fiigen,  in  the  Zillerthal,  was  the  home  of 
that  Joseph  Rainer,  who,  in  the  early  years 
of  last  century,  started  the  Tyrolese  yodel 
carolling  round  the  world. 

He  was  first  of  all  a  cattle  dealer,  like  many 
another  man  from  his  native  Zillerthal.  His 
business  carried  him  frequently  into  the  great 
outside  world  of  plains,  even  to  Mecklenburg 
and  Prussia.  One  day,  in  Leipzig,  his  atten- 
tion was  caught  by  a  poster  which  advertised 
a  concert  by  four  Tyrolese  singers.  He  went 
to  the  concert.  It  proved  to  be  a  great  success, 
and  Rainer  promptly  wrote  home  to  his 
brothers  and  sisters  that  there  was  money  in 
yodeling.  He  told  them  to  take  some  gloves 
along,  to  peddle,  in  case  their  songs  failed  to 
draw  audiences.  Gloves  were  then,  and  are 
still,  a  common  merchandise  for  peddlers 
from  the  Zillerthal. 

Four  of  the  family  joined  Rainer,  three 
brothers  and  one  sister.  They  met  at  Frei- 
sing-on-the-Isar,  north  of  Munich,  and  there 
began  to  sing  before  small  audiences.  In 

81 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

1828,  the  Grand  Duke  of  Baden  invited  them 
to  sing  in  the  theatre  at  Karlsruhe.  That  was 
the  beginning  of  great  things.  Finally,  a  tour 
in  England  netted  them  56,000  gulden,  or 
about  $23,000.  Rainer  returned  to  Fugen, 
bought  an  old  castle,  turned  it  into  a  hotel, 
hung  the  rooms  with  English  prints,  and 
eventually  died  there. 

Various  members  of  the  original  Rainer 
family  continued  for  many  years  to  yodel  in 
distant  parts  of  the  world,  even  in  the  United 
States.  Their  example  was  followed  by 
others,  notably  by  certain  Leo  brothers,  who 
were  very  successful. 

The  first  Tyrolese  song  was  the  Schnader- 
hupfl, of  four  lines,  which  the  dancer  extem- 
porized as  he  threw  down  his  money  for  the 
musicians.  This  pay  gave  him  the  privilege 
of  the  floor  for  his  Ldndler  (waltz),  or  his 
Schuhplattler.  By  process  of  selection,  the  best 
of  these  Schnaderhupfl  survived,  and  were 
added  to  the  permanent  stock  of  folk-lore. 
But  the  Schnaderhupfl  was  found  to  be  too 
short  for  concert  purposes,  and  new  songs  had 
to  be  written  for  the  strolling  singers.  The 
songs  we  hear  nowadays  are  not,  as  a  rule, 
local  products  at  all;  they  are  written  in  the 


82 


The  Zillerthal 

plains,  though  many  of  them  have  worked 
their  way  back  into  the  Alps. 

A  change  has  likewise  taken  place  in  the 
make-up  of  these  singing  companies.  At  first 
the  singers  went  out  into  the  world  by  families, 
merely  transferring  their  performances  from 
the  family  hearth  to  the  concert  hall.  But 
after  awhile  the  demands  of  art  called  for 
tenors,  sopranos,  altos,  and  basses,  and  took  no 
account  of  family  ties.  Still,  however,  the 
selections  were  made  from  the  same  valley  or 
district.  Now  even  this  requirement  has  been 
abolished,  and  it  is  alleged  that  some  so-called 
Tyrolese  quartettes  are  made  up  of  artists  who 
have  never  been  in  the  Tyrol  at  all,  but  come 
from  the  neighbouring  highlands. 

Zell  am  Zlller 

Zell  is  the  chief  place  of  the  valley,  the 
capital  of  the  Zillerthal.  Seen  from  the  sur- 
rounding slopes,  it  looks  as  though  it  had  been 
dropped  ready-made  from  the  sky  upon  the 
banks  of  the  rapid  torrent  of  the  Ziller,  a 
little  place  of  a  distinct  individuality  which 
has  been  derived  from  the  time  when  inter- 
communication between  different  valleys  was 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

rarer  than  now,  and  there  was  no  steam- 
engine  to  disturb  the  stillness  of  Alpine  life. 

Early  one  morning  of  my  stay  there  was  a 
tremendous  burst  of  gunpowder  from  mortars 
fired  on  the  neighbouring  hills.  Every  house 
was  seen  to  be  beflagged  with  the  red  and 
white  colours  of  the  Tyrol,  or  the  black  and 
yellow  ones  of  Austria,  and  through  the  streets 
thus  made  brilliant,  a  procession  slowly 
wound  its  way.  In  front  marched  a  company 
of  Schutzen  (sharpshooters),  clad  in  tight 
black  breeches,  white  stockings,  high  laced 
shoes,  wide  belts,  marked  with  the  wearers' 
names,  red  vests,  and  gray  jackets,  bordered 
with  black  braid. 

But  the  crown  of  the  costume  was  the  Ziller- 
thal  hat.  This  is  made  of  black  felt,  and  in 
shape  resembles  somewhat  the  traditional  cap 
worn  by  Mercury  in  his  statues,  though  the 
crown  is  not  quite  as  flat.  It  is  enlivened  by  a 
cord,  and  two  gilt,  or  silver  tassels,  which 
hang  down  in  front.  The  whole  forms  as 
simple  and  becoming  a  bit  of  head-covering 
as  can  be  found  the  world  over.  Curiously 
enough,  this  hat  has  been  discarded  by  the 
men,  except  in  the  case  of  these  local  com- 
panies of  Schutzen.  On  the  other  hand, 
almost  all  the  women  still  wear  it  on  Sundays, 

84 


WOMEN   OF   THE    ZILLERTHAL   AND    INNfHAL 


The  Zillerthal 

—  young  and  old,  tassels  and  all,  with  the 
most  charming  results.  It  expresses  a  quality 
which  the  Tyrolese  greatly  appreciate, 
Schneid,  which  means  dash,  sauciness,  ready 
wit,  and  a  great  many  other  qualities  too  nu- 
merous to  mention.  And,  indeed,  it  was  a 
pretty  sight,  the  bevy  of  women  walking 
sedately  to  the  tune  of  a  brass  band,  their  eyes 
shaded  by  the  glinting  tassels. 

If  your  itinerary  permits  an  extra  day  or 
two  in  Zell,  it  will  pay  to  climb  to  the  Gerlos 
range,  lying  to  the  east  of  the  valley,  in  order 
to  visit  the  summer  pastures  up  there,  and  see 
the  life  on  the  aim.  Though  the  fare  may 
be  primitive,  and  possibly  confined  to  bread 
and  milk,  and  though  you  may  have  to  sleep 
on  the  hay,  with  the  cold  night  air  drawing 
through  the  slits  in  the  sides  of  the  barn,  yet 
the  outlook  will  amply  repay.  Whoever  has 
not  looked  off  from  a  high-placed  aim  upon 
the  world  beneath,  has  yet  much  joy  ahead. 
You  seem  to  be  suspended  in  space,  and  yet 
you  stand  on  a  firm  green  foreground  and 
gaze  into  a  blue  distance.  The  air  and  sun 
are  both  keen  and  caressing,  and  give  relish  to 
your  thoughts.  From  the  Gerlos  range  the 
whole  of  the  Zillerthal  proper  is  visible  with 
its  villages  and  river.  At  daybreak  the  valley 

85 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

lies  in  the  nebulous  half-light  of  the  waking 
earth.  A  yellow  line  of  road  winds  south- 
ward to  Mayerhofen,  where  the  Zillerthal 
divides  into  four  branches,  or  ramifications, 
and  these  in  turn  into  many  Grunde  or  bot- 
toms, as  we  should  say,  until  the  great  snow 
mountains  cut  them  off  short  at  the  end.  It 
is  all  glorious  and  grand,  and  calls  for  grati- 
tude. The  impression  and  recollection  will 
deepen  as  you  descend  once  more  into  the 
expectant  valley  while  the  rays  of  the  rising 
sun  penetrate  farther  and  farther  into  its  re- 
cesses. 

Ginzling 

From  Mayerhofen,  at  the  end  of  the  Ziller- 
thal proper,  a  path  leads  through  the  superb 
gorge,  known  as  the  Dornauberg-Klamm,  into 
the  Zemmthal.  This  Alpine  ravine  can  hold 
its  own  with  many  of  the  more  celebrated 
narrows  of  the  Alps. 

When  we  emerge  on  the  other  side,  we  are 
in  the  midst  of  the  real  mountains  at  last. 
Whatever  of  tameness  the  flat  floor  of  the 
Zillerthal  proper  may  express,  here  all  be- 
comes rugged  and  dramatic.  The  very  rocks 
along  the  boiling  Zemmbach  make  the 
stranger  welcome,  for  they  are  covered  with 

86 


The  Zillerthal 

a  red  growth  that  looks  like  rust,  but  when  you 
rub  it  on  your  hands,  it  emits  the  familiar  and 
lowland  perfume  of  the  violet.  Thus  does 
this  rock  vegetation  teach  the  homely  lesson 
that  oppression  may  even  be  made  to  serve 
the  purposes  of  good. 

Ginzling  consists  of  a  church  and  parson- 
age, an  inn,  a  schoolhouse,  a  forester's  lodge, 
and  detached  peasant  cottages,  the  whole 
forming  a  microcosm  of  the  patriarchal  Aus- 
trian system.  Until  recently  the  mail  arrived 
only  once  a  day,  on  the  back  of  a  donkey.  If 
you  inquire,  you  will  find  that  the  school- 
teacher is  the  busiest  man  in  the  place.  Not 
only  does  he  teach,  but  he  also  plays  the  organ 
every  day  in  church,  and  when  his  choir  of 
men  and  boys  are  away  earning  their  living 
as  guides  and  porters,  he  sings  the  responses 
himself.  Between  times  he  cultivates  his  fields 
of  oats  and  flax.  Even  the  linen  he  and  his 
family  wear  are  home-grown  and  home-made. 

As  elsewhere  throughout  the  Tyrol,  many 
good-humoured  German  tourists,  in  woollen 
mantles  of  Loden,  a  material  manufactured 
principally  in  Innsbruck,  bring  cheer  to  the 
Ginzling  inn  with  their  marvelous  good 
spirits  and  their  contagious  enthusiasm. 

The  torrent  of  the  Zemmbach  is  more  im- 
87 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

portant  than  it  looks.  Not  only  is  it  full  of 
trout,  which,  by  the  way,  I  was  informed,  the 
innkeeper  alone  has  the  right  to  catch,  but 
it  also  acts  as  the  boundary  between  two 
bishoprics:  Brixen  and  Salzburg. 

The  inn,  on  the  right  bank,  belongs  to  the 
parish  of  Mairhofen,  in  the  diocese  of  Salz- 
burg; and  the  church,  on  the  left,  to  the 
parish  of  Finkenberg,  in  the  diocese  of  Brixen. 
The  forester's  lodge  pairs  off  with  the  inn,  but 
the  school  with  the  church. 

In  the  wide  valley  of  the  Floitenthal  are 
the  chamois  preserves  of  Prince  Auersperg, 
whose  family  belongs  to  the  group  of  great 
territorial  magnates.  High  on  the  mountain- 
sides haystacks  are  visible,  which  the  game- 
keepers prepare  for  the  chamois  for  winter 
use.  The  keepers  themselves  are  often  seen 
stalking  about  in  full  war-paint,  their  rifles 
slung  across  their  backs,  dogs  at  their  heels, 
and  china-bowl  pipes  in  their  mouths.  Their 
hats  are  always  the  greenest,  their  feathers  the 
curliest,  and  their  bare  knees  the  most  bronzed 
of  any  among  the  men. 


CHAPTER    XI 

OVER   THE   BRENNER   PASS 

THE  Brenner  railroad  is  a  vast  rope,  coiling 
itself  over  the  mountains,  through  convenient 
openings,  and  at  the  points  of  least  resistance. 
Now  and  then  it  burrows  into  the  earth,  now 
and  then  it  throws  out  a  loop. 

When  you  have  crossed  one  railroad  pass, 
you  have  crossed  them  all.  It  is  a  repeated 
turning  and  twisting,  punctuated  by  a  succes- 
sion of  Ohs!  and  Ahs!  that  are  promptly 
suppressed  by  tunnels,  or  projecting  crags. 

These  Alpine  passes  give  rise  to  a  wind 
called  the  Fohn,  a  warm  wind  that  blows 
down  from  the  heights  into  the  valleys.  It 
was  once  supposed  that  this  wind  came  all  the 
way  from  the  Desert  of  Sahara,  but  modern 
meteorology  has  at  last  explained  the  Fohn. 
It  is  a  wind  that  falls  from  the  heights  into  the 
valleys.  It  is  sucked  down  to  fill  a  vacuum, 
caused  by  light  air  pressures  in  the  plains.  It 
starts  ice-cold  above,  it  arrives  hot  from 

89 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

friction  below.  It  can  occur  on  both  sides  of 
the  Alps,  but  it  is  more  common  on  the  north 
than  the  south.  This  warm  wind  is  found  not 
only  in  the  Alps,  but  in  every  mountain  chain, 
even  on  the  west  coast  of  Greenland,  where  a 
species  of  Form  comes  down  from  the  ice- 
caps to  the  sea,  as  warm  and  dry  as  though 
from  a  desert  of  Africa. 

From  Innsbruck  to  Brixen  the  scenery  of 
the  Brenner  route  is  practically  Alpine,  with 
only  Matrei  and  Sterzing  to  give  the  con- 
trast of  country-town  life.  The  names  sprin- 
kled along  the  route  are  Raetian,  Roman,  and 
Teutonic  in  about  equal  parts,  and  they  pro- 
vide the  etymologists  with  an  unsurpassed 
field  for  research,  of  which  they  have  fully 
availed  themselves.  Great,  for  instance,  are 
the  possibilities  in  a  name  like  Pflersch,  with 
its  seven  consonants,  and  only  one  poor  little 
vowel ! 

The  train,  in  descending  on  the  southern 
side  of  the  Brenner,  makes  a  magnificent 
sweep  into  the  Pflerschthal.  At  the  back  of 
that  valley  the  snow  mountains  of  Stubai 
glisten  alluringly. 

Such  a  name  as  Gossensass  is  worth  some- 
thing to  the  tourist  trade,  —  it  sounds  so  quaint 
and  cosy.  Indeed,  those  visitors  who  know 

90 


Over  the  Brenner  Pass 

a  good  thing  when  they  hear  it,  flock  to  the 
village  of  that  name  in  great  numbers  during 
the  short  season.  The  etymologists  once 
derived  Gossensass  from  Gothensitz,  the 
"  Seat  of  the  Goths."  They  implied  that 
Gossensass  was  the  northernmost  outpost  of 
the  Goths  who  came  up  the  Brenner  from 
Verona.  But  the  latest  news  from  the  land  of 
research  would  derive  Gossensass  from  a  cer- 
tain unknown  Gozzo,  and  not  from  the  Goths 
at  all. 

The  name  of  Sterzing  also  is  now  explained 
as  a  patronymic,  built  on  the  name  of  one 
Starzo  as  a  base. 

The  outskirts  of  Sterzing  are  so  countrified, 
that  one  is  not  prepared  to  find  the  town  itself 
so  wonderfully  ornate.  Sterzing  seems  to  have 
burst  forth  all  over  into  arcades,  balconies, 
and  turrets.  It  has  almost  stood  still  for  cen- 
turies, like  the  townlets  along  the  valley  of  the 
Inn,  at  a  time  when  streets  were  made  narrow 
in  order  to  lessen  wall  circumference,  and 
houses  considered  it  necessary  to  go  a-bow- 
windowing  and  a-hanging-out-signs  all  the 
way  down  the  vista. 

The  Rathhaus  stands  on  great  arches,  and 
is  distinguished  by  two  curious,  polygonal 
bow  windows.  The  so-called  Jochelsthurm, 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

now  used  by  the  town  magistrates,  was  once 
the  seat  of  a  rich  family.  It  contains  a  re- 
markable Gothic  ceiling,  which  was  finished 
in  1469,  but  is  still  in  excellent  condition. 
The  parish  church  deserves  a  visit,  and  almost 
in  the  centre  of  the  town  stands  the  so-called 
Zwolferthurm,  the  tower  from  which  the 
noon  hour  is  rung. 

These  little  places  along  the  Brenner  route 
had  their  heyday  before  the  advent  of  the 
railroad,  when  heavy  wagons  and  their  drivers 
stopped  early  and  often.  Railroads  have  a 
way  of  emphasizing  terminal  points  and 
junctions,  and  of  reducing  the  importance  of 
intermediate  ones.  So  Sterzing  has  suffered 
along  with  the  rest.  But  its  principal  source 
of  income  really  failed  long  before  the  rail- 
road came,  when  the  silver  and  iron  mines  of 
the  neighbourhood  were  exhausted,  for  trans- 
portation and  mining  were  the  mainstay  of 
Sterzing.  To-day,  a  steady  recuperation  is 
manifest,  which  deserves  the  best  wishes  of 
all  who  love  the  Tyrol. 

Sterzing  was  the  scene  of  the  first  serious 
battle  of  the  war  of  1809,  when  Andreas 
Hofer  crossed  the  Jaufen  from  the  Passeier- 
thal,  and  drove  the  Bavarians  back  over  the 
Brenner.  Farther  down,  too,  at  Mittewald 

92 


STERZING 


Over  the  Brenner  Pass 

and  the  Sachsenklemme,  the  French  and  their 
Saxon -allies  lost  terribly  at  the  hands  of  the 
Tyrolese,  all  of  which  is  set  forth  in  the  chap- 
ter on  Andreas  Hofer. 

Southward  from  Sterzing  stretches  a  plain 
called  the  Sterzingermoos.  It  was  once  very 
marshy,  but  it  has  now  been  drained  and  re- 
claimed for  tilling  and  pasture-lands,  this 
enterprise  being  typical  of  the  productive 
activity  which  modern  conditions  are  bringing 
to  the  fore  in  the  Tyrol. 

Before  reaching  Franzensfeste,  the  train 
passes  through  a  heavily  wooded  defile,  known 
as  the  Sachsenklemme,  where  many  of  the 
Saxon  allies  of  Marshal  Lefebre  were  over- 
whelmed or  captured  by  the  Tyrolese  during 
the  war  of  1809.  The  village  of  Mittewald 
reposes  here,  peaceful  amid  sylvan  scenes, 
the  scent  of  the  forests  rising  under  the  touch 
of  a  genial  sun,  and  only  a  cannon-ball  or  two 
fixed  over  the  door  of  an  inn  recalling  other 
days  of  stress  and  war. 


93 


MITTEWALD    AND   PFLERSCH    ON    THE   BRENNER    ROUTE 


CENTRAL    TYROL 


CHAPTER   XII 

THE    PUSTERTHAL 

THE  Pusterthal  railroad  connects  the  Tyrol 
with  Carinthia  and  Styria,  and  thus  also  with 
Vienna. 

The  Romans  began  the  historic  era  in  the 
Pusterthal  itself.  They  built  a  road  through 
the  valley,  because  it  was  a  great  natural 
approach  from  east  to  west,  from  Aquileia  to 
Augusta  Vindelicorum.  It  was  an  Alpine 
artery,  wherein  they  promptly  caused  mer- 
chandise and  military  power  to  flow.  An 
important  centre  arose  where  Innichen  now 
stands,  called  Aguntum.  An  ecclesiastic, 
Venantius  Fortunatus,  who,  in  564,  was  on  a 
pilgrimage  from  Ravenna  to  the  tomb  of  St. 
Martin  in  Tours,  mentions  Aguntum  as  exist- 
ing in  his  day. 

At  the  end  of  the  sixth  century,  the  Roman 
power  being  in  decay,  a  Slavonic  invasion  of 
the  Pusterthal  took  place  from  the  east,  and 
a  Teutonic  one  from  the  west.  The  two 

97 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

forces  met  on  the  highest  ground  in  the  Pus- 
terthal,  on  the  great  plateau  of  Toblach. 
For  a  time  the  Christian  Bavarians  were 
driven  back  by  the  heathen  Wends,  who 
destroyed  Aguntum  and  Roman  civilization. 
In  later  years,  however,  a  line  was  estab- 
lished between  the  two  races,  at  the  brook  of 
Amras.  To  the  west  of  that  the  Christianized 
Bavarians  held  sway,  and  in  770  their  Duke 
Tassilo  founded  a  monastery  at  Innichen, 
where  Aguntum  had  once  stood,  "  in  order," 
as  he  said,  "  to  lead  the  unbelieving  race  of 
the  Slavs  in  the  way  of  the  truth." 

That,  in  short,  is  the  first  item  in  the  modern 
historical  development  of  the  Pusterthal. 

Franzensfeste  lies  at  the  point  of  contact 
between  the  Brenner  and  the  Pusterthal. 
From  the  train  it  is  possible  to  see  much 
masonry  of  the  fortification  type.  Forest-clad 
hills  rise  all  around,  dark  and  heavy  with 
military  secrets,  for  the  strategic  value  of 
Franzensfeste  seems  evident  even  to  a  layman. 
As  you  stand  on  the  station  platform,  turn 
northward  and  you  face  Germany,  turn  south- 
ward and  you  face  Italy,  turn  westward,  and 
Switzerland  lies  not  far  beyond  the  horizon, 
turn  eastward,  and  Vienna  is  not  many  miles 
away.  The  Pusterthal  is  a  wedge  that  pierces 

98 


The  Pusterthal 

the  geographical  vitals  of  Austria,  and  Aus- 
tria has  made  arrangements  to  keep  it  in  her 
own  hands. 

The  Maid  of  Spinges 

The  Pusterthal  had  almost  more  than  its 
fair  share  of  trouble  during  the  two  invasions 
of  the  French,  in  1797  and  in  1809.  It  offered 
too  tempting  a  passage.  The  very  quality  that 
gave  it  trade  in  time  of  peace  also  gave  it 
trouble  in  time  of  war.  In  1797  General 
Joubert  was  advancing  up  the  Pusterthal  to 
make  connections  with  Napoleon,  who  was 
leaving  Italy.  Some  of  Joubert's  troops  met 
with  stout  opposition  at  a  little  village  called 
Spinges,  not  far  from  Franzensfeste,  on  a  hill 
to  the  left  of  the  railroad.  A  few  companies 
of  the  Tyrolese  Landstrum,  or  militia,  went 
forward  to  meet  Joubert's  soldiers.  The  latter 
pushed  forward  with  bayonets.  Then  a  cer- 
tain Anton  Reinisch,  of  Volders,  jumped  in 
among  the  French  with  a  long  scythe,  and 
succeeded  in  making  an  opening  for  his  com- 
rades, through  which  they  were  able  to  pene- 
trate and  break  up  the  French  formation.  He 
himself  fell  under  the  many  thrusts  of  the 
enemy. 

Doctor  Steub  has  pointed  out  the  resem- 
99 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

blance  of  this  act  to  the  more  famous  one  of 
Winkelried. 

That  same  day  there  was  fighting  also 
around  the  churchyard  of  Spinges.  A  certain 
"  Maid  of  Spinges "  distinguished  herself 
in  defeating  the  assaults  of  the  French.  They 
attacked  three  times  in  vain,  for  this  girl 
stood  among  the  men  on  the  wall,  perform- 
ing prodigies  with  a  hay-fork.  It  is  not 
known  who  she  was.  She  has  been  praised 
in  song  as  "  The  Maid  of  Spinges,"  and  in 
popular  imagination  her  very  anonymity  has 
helped  to  make  her  the  representative  of  the 
many  women  who  fought  and  suffered  in  the 
Tyrol  during  the  years  of  foreign  invasion. 

Bruneck 

The  railroad  describes  a  wide  curve  of 
admiration  in  sight  of  the  little  castled  town 
of  Bruneck.  The  train  turns  aside,  as  a 
painter  sidles  off  from  his  easel,  with  his  head 
on  one  side,  so  as  to  obtain  a  better  view  of  his 
work. 

Bruneck  stands  for  a  moment  of  the  past, 
and  for  a  hopeful  future.  It  strikes  the  visit- 
or's attention  as  a  quaint  little  provincial 
town  of  the  mountains,  and  for  that  reason 

100 


The  Pusterthal 

is  doubly  interesting  to  the  dweller  in  the 
large  cities  of  the  plains. 

The  castle  still  stands  erect  and  martial, 
having  dark  pines  for  a  background,  upon  a 
hill  of  green.  From  the  tower,  the  view 
reaches  far  up  the  Taufererthal,  and  it  em- 
braces wheat-fields,  slopes  of  pasture-land,  and 
forests,  while  above  and  beyond,  the  summits 
are  crowned  with  snow,  the  whole  forming 
a  typical  Tyrolese  view. 

A  battalion  of  sharpshooters  is  stationed  in 
the  castle,  and  the  feudal  effect  is  heightened, 
when  a  sudden  blare  of  trumpets  starts  the 
lounging  soldiers  from  the  shady  terraces. 

Bruneck  was  founded  by  a  Prince  Bishop 
of  Brixen,  Bruno,  by  name,  who  erected  the 
castle  on  the  hill,  and  called  the  result  Bru- 
neck, in  reminder  of  his  own  name.  This 
was  sometime  between  1250  and  1256. 

The  prince  bishop  attracted  quite  a  flock 
of  noblemen  to  Bruneck,  who  perched  them- 
selves on  the  rocks  around,  and  built  castles 
of  their  own. 

The  town  presents  a  compact  and  solid 
front  to  the  outside  world,  being  completely 
walled  in.  Some  gates  lead  into  a  long,  single 
street,  that  runs  through  the  interior.  One 
is  reminded  of  Sterzing,  though  there  is  more 

101 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

ornament  there.  Bruneck,  on  the  other  hand, 
is  noticeable  for  its  monster  rain  -  pipes, 
painted  red,  with  which  every  house  is  pro- 
vided. The  rain-pipe  starts  above  in  the 
shape  of  a  funnel,  and  comes  down  to  the 
sidewalk  in  a  blaze  of  red  light.  Line  on 
line,  the  rain-pipes  follow  each  other  down 
the  vista  of  the  street. 

The  Rienz,  flowing  close  outside,  against 
the  walls,  has  made  awful  havoc  more  than 
once  with  the  compact  little  town.  As  re- 
cently as  1882,  the  town  experienced  a  week 
of  terror.  The  mountain  torrent  became  a 
vast  stream,  filled  with  Alpine  refuse,  that 
bore  down  everything  it  touched.  Many 
houses  and  barns  were  swept  away,  and  all 
but  one  of  the  bridges  rode  off  on  the  back 
of  the  flood. 

Those  who  are  interested  in  antiquarian 
researches  will  do  well  to  ask  permission  to 
see  some  of  Bruneck's  private  collections  of 
paintings,  weapons,  coins,  etc.  The  town 
archives  also  are  said  to  be  exceptionally  full, 
the  minutes  of  the  Council  being  complete 
since  the  thirteenth  century. 

Bruneck  was  for  a  while  the  home  of  the 
Tyrol's  most  noted  poet,  Hermann  von  Gilm, 
who  was  there  in  government  service  from 

102 


The  Pusterthal 

1842  to  1845.  He  was  born  in  Innsbruck  in 
1812,  studied  at  the  university  there,  and 
entered  the  employment  of  the  state  in  the 
department  of  justice.  He  first  wrote  a  cycle 
of  songs  called  Marzenveilchen,  and  then  in 
memory  of  Natters,  a  little  village  in  the 
Mittelgebirge,  near  Innsbruck,  he  continued 
with  another  cycle,  called  Sommerfrische  in 
Natters. 

In  1840,  having  been  transferred  to  Schwaz, 
Hermann  von  Gilm  wrote  further  cycles, 
entitled  Theodollnde  and  Lieder  eines  Ver- 
schollenen. 

Then  came  three  years  at  Bruneck,  during 
which  the  Sophienlleder  were  produced.  In 
1845  came  a  transfer  to  Rovereto,  and  in  1854, 
at  Linz,  we  find  him  writing  his  last  cycle  of 
love-songs,  the  Rosaneum. 

But  Hermann  von  Gilm's  real  fame  does 
not  rest  on  his  love-songs.  He  was,  for  a  time, 
the  real  voice  of  the  Tyrol,  the  interpreter  of 
its  .  inspirations.  His  Schutzenlieder,  begun 
in  Bruneck,  and  finished  in  Rovereto, 
throbbed  so  loudly  with  fresh  Alpine  exhila- 
ration that  the  heart  of  the  Tyrol  responded 
and  beat  in  unison.  These  songs,  very  Teu- 
tonic, very  heroic  and  hopeful,  stirred  the 


103 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

silent  peasants  to  a  tremendous  pitch  of 
patriotism. 

The  poet  took  part  in  the  revolutionary 
movements  of  1848  at  Vienna,  but  he  died  at 
Linz  in  1864,  an(^  ms  remains  now  lie  in 
Innsbruck. 

His  work  and  words  are  remembered  with 
much  love  by  his  compatriots,  and  his  name 
has  been  duly  honoured  by  the  placing  of 
his  bust  on  the  house  where  he  was  born  in 
the  Maria  Theresienstrasse  at  Innsbruck. 

The  Tharer  Wlrth 

After  Bruneck,  comes  the  village  of  Olang. 
If  the  unnamed  "  Maid  of  Spinges  "  is  the 
heroine  of  the  French  occupation  of  1797  in 
the  Pusterthal,  the  son  of  an  innkeeper  at 
Mitterolang  is  the  martyr  of  that  of  1809. 
His  name  was  Peter  Sigmaier,  and  he  was 
known  as  the  Tharer  Wirth.  The  French 
General  Broussier  was  particularly  active 
in  capturing  the  peasants,  whose  only  crime  it 
was  that  they  were  fighting  for  their  native 
soil. 

One  of  his  drag-net  orders  brought  in  an 
old  man,  whose  son  was  active  in  the  Tyrolese 
cause.  The  order  was  given  that,  if  the  son 

104 


The  Pusterthal 

did  not  present  himself  within  three  days,  the 
father  was  to  fall  by  proxy.  But  the  son, 
rather  than  sacrifice  his  father,  promptly 
presented  himself.  His  filial  conduct  raised 
hopes  that  Broussier  would  relent,  and  the 
son's  young  wife  pleaded  strongly  for  his  life, 
but  Broussier  hardened  his  heart,  and  the  son 
of  the  Tharer  Wirth  went  to  his  death.  Franz 
von  Defregger  has,  within  a  few  years, 
painted  a  picture,  which  hangs  in  the  Ferdi- 
nandeum  at  Innsbruck,  commemorating  this 
martyrdom. 

Joachim  Haspinger  (1776  -  1 8 58) 

Northward  from  Welsberg  in  the  Puster- 
thal lies  the  Gsieserthal,  where  Joachim  Has- 
pinger was  born,  the  third  in  the  great 
triumvirate  of  1809.  The  hamlet  of  St.  Mar- 
tin was  his  birthplace,  and  1776  the  year 
of  his  birth,  the  very  year  of  the  American 
Declaration  of  Independence.  His  parents 
were  poor  peasants.  He  took  part  in  the 
struggle  of  1797  against  the  French,  probably 
fighting  at  Spinges.  Certain  it  is  that  he  re- 
ceived a  silver  medal  for  his  bravery  at  that 
time.  Then,  in  1802,  he  entered  the  Capuchin 
Monastery  at  Klausen.  When  the  war  of 

105 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

1809  broke  over  the  Tyrol,  Haspinger  at 
once  joined  the  native  troops  as  chaplain. 
But  Andreas  Hofer  instead  gave  him  a  com- 
mand, which  he  inspired  with  his  fiery  zeal, 
and  led  with  success.  After  the  defeat  of 
the  Tyrolese  cause,  he  escaped  through 
Switzerland  to  Milan  and  Vienna,  disguised 
as  a  Handwerksbursche,  or  journeyman  ap- 
prentice. 

The  last  years  of  his  life  were  spent  quietly 
as  parish  priest  of  Hietzing,  near  Vienna. 
The  emperor  had  presented  him  with  this 
office.  In  1848  he  reappeared  for  a  while  in 
Innsbruck  as  the  chaplain  of  a  company  of 
students,  commanded  by  Adolf  Pichler.  A 
brilliant  reception  was  given  him  in  the  Tyrol 
at  that  time. 

His  body  lies  beside  those  of  Hofer  and 
Speckbacher,  in  the  Hofkirche  at  Innsbruck. 

Toblach 

The  Pusterthal  is  unique  in  that  two  streams 
rise  in  it,  the  Rienz  and  the  Drau,  and  flow 
in  opposite  directions.  The  watershed  be- 
tween the  two  is  at  Toblach.  The  Rienz  flows 
into  the  Adige  and  the  Adriatic,  the  Drau  into 
the  Danube  and  the  Black  Sea. 

106 


The  Pusterthal 

Toblach  is  a  favourite  gateway  to  the  en- 
chanted region  of  the  Dolomites.  There  is 
a  village  of  that  name  in  the  plain,  but  the 
principal  hotels  cluster  about  near  the  rail- 
road. 

At  Toblach  the  Pusterthal  presents  an 
interesting  contrast.  The  northern  side  of  the 
valley  is  Teutonic  to  a  "  t,"  with  greens  in  the 
usual  gradations,  starting  from  cultivated 
fields  below  and  mounting  through  pine  for- 
ests and  pastures  to  a  smooth  sky-line  above. 
The  southern  side  of  the  valley,  however,  is 
the  romance  side,  where  the  Dolomites  stand 
guard,  gray  and  soft  in  colour,  sheer  and 
shorn  in  shape,  with  their  bases  enveloped  in 
rich,  luxuriant  fir-trees. 

Herein  lies  the  chief  charm  of  Toblach, 
in  this  contrast  between  its  workaday  Pus- 
terthal side  and  its  artistic  Dolomite  aspect, 
so  that  Toblach  has  two  strings  to  its  bow. 

On  moonlight  nights,  when  the  Ampezzo 
valley,  back  of  Toblach,  is  flooded  with  a 
shower  of  gold,  and  Monte  Cristallo  gleams 
above  the  black  forests,  the  full  fantasy  of  the 
scene  becomes  apparent.  There  is  much 
peace  in  the  soft  touch  of  the  air  on  such 
nights,  and  the  woodland  smells  come  fresh 
and  pure  to  the  nostrils. 

107 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

There  is  a  forest  of  larch-trees  running  all 
the  way  to  Innichen,  so  that  you  can  walk 
for  about  an  hour  under  its  delicate  tracery, 
with  eyes  turned  up  to  the  lace  of  the  branches 
above.  I  had  almost  said  that  this  forest  path 
alone  was  worth  the  journey  to  Toblach. 

Innichen 

Most  of  the  towns  and  villages  situated  in 
the  zone  between  Teutonic  and  Romance 
Tyrol  have  double  names.  To  people  coming 
from  the  south,  they  assume  Italian  disguises, 
to  those  coming  from  the  north,  they  turn 
their  German  side. 

Even  places  which  are  quite  within  the 
racial  pale  use  convenient  aliases,  according 
to  their  needs.  Hence  it  happens  that  Bozen 
is  also  Bolzano;  Trento,  Trient;  Brixen, 
Bressanone,  and  Innichen,  San  Candido. 

The  name  of  Innichen  was  originally  Agun- 
tica,  then  it  became  Intica,  and  finally  Inni- 
chen. The  Italian  name  of  San  Candido, 
however,  is  due  to  the  fact  that  when  the 
Bavarian  Duke  Tassilo  founded  the  monas- 
tery there,  he  dedicated  it  to  a  St.  Can- 
didus. 

The  monastery  church  in  Romanesque 
108 


The  Pusterthal 

style  shows  its  great  age,  dating  from  the 
thirteenth  century.  It  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable buildings  in  Teutonic  Tyrol,  with 
its  half-vanished  frescoes,  and  its  little-under- 
stood carvings  of  centaurs,  unicorns,  and 
other  imaginary  beings. 

There  is  also  a  little  sunken  chapel,  built  in 
imitation  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  A  native  of 
Innichen  once  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  on  his  return,  had  this  chapel  built. 
You  go  down  a  few  steps  into  a  species  of 
crypt,  and  there,  in  an  inner  chapel,  is  the 
imitation  of  the  sepulchre  itself. 

During  the  season  there  is  much  animation 
at  Innichen.  It  is  a  favourite  resting-place 
for  people  who  are  going  up  the  Sextenthal, 
to  the  fashionable  Wildbad,  much  favoured 
by  the  Viennese;  to  the  Fischeleinboden, 
among  the  great  Kofel  and  Spitzen  of  the 
Sexten  Dolomites;  or,  perhaps,  over  the  easy 
Kreuzberg  Pass  into  Italy.  The  Dreischus- 
terspitze,  which  belongs  to  the  Sexten  Dolo- 
mites, dominates  Innichen  with  the  majesty 
of  its  presence. 

Lienz 

Lienz  is  the  jumping-ofl  town  in  the  Tyrol 
toward  the  east.  Beyond  it  lies  Carinthia, 

109 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

and  a  pronounced  Slavonic  element  then 
makes  itself  noticeable  in  the  population. 
There  happened  to  be  a  cattle  market  there 
the  day  I  arrived.  The  place  was  full  of 
peasants  from  remote  valleys;  some  of  the 
men  even  wore  green  trousers,  or  let  their  hair 
grow  long,  and  most  of  the  women  clung  to 
their  extraordinary  peaked  hats.  These  are 
of  black  felt,  with  broad,  stiff  brims.  The 
crown  rises  as  though  to  end  in  a  peak;  then 
it  seems  to  reconsider  this  intention,  and  ends 
in  sort  of  a  plateau.  These  hats  are  cut  off 
at  the  apex  of  their  ambition.  Dr.  Henry  Van 
Dyke,  in  his  search  for  "  Little  Rivers, "  once 
strayed  into  Lienz.  He  says  of  this  hat:  "  It 
looks  a  little  like  the  traditional  head-gear 
of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  exaggerated.  There 
is  a  solemnity  about  it  which  is  fatal  to  fem- 
inine beauty." 

The  place  itself  is  not  exactly  a  summer 
resort.  It  has  a  life  of  its  own  which  circu- 
lates in  front  of  the  Lieburg,  a  long  building 
with  two  towers,  used  by  the  district  authori- 
ties. Here,  too,  the  Stellwagen  starts  for 
Windisch-Matrei,  and  for  the  pure-white 
glories  of  the  Gross  Venediger  and  the  Gross 
Glockner. 


no 


The  Pusterthal 

Windisch-Matrei 

There  is  a  Deutsch-Matrei  on  the  Brenner 
route,  but  there  is  also  a  Windisch-Matrei,  a 
Matrei  of  the  Wends,  north  of  Lienz.  The 
latter  is  the  chief  village  of  the  Iselthal,  and  it 
has  been  a  little  centre  of  civilization  in  the 
Alps  for  centuries,  but  during  all  its  history 
it  has  constantly  been  threatened  with  de- 
struction by  a  torrent  which  tears  down  from 
the  Bretterwand  on  the  east.  The  village  has 
long  since  entrenched  itself  behind  huge  stone 
dams,  but  these  do  not  always  avail  to  avert 
the  fury  of  the  elements.  In  1895,  the  torrent 
swept  great  masses  of  earth  and  rubble  upon 
the  fields,  and  buried  them  apparently  beyond 
recovery,  and  since  then  the  place  has  also 
been  visited  by  a  fire. 

During  a  debate  in  the  Tyrolese  Diet  at 
Innsbruck,  in  the  session  of  1899,  the  continua- 
tion of  Windisch-Matrei  upon  its  present  site 
was  even  considered  to  be  problematical.  A 
plan  was  proposed  to  transfer  the  village  to 
a  safer  site  near  by,  and  a  subvention  was 
offered  by  the  Diet  for  that  purpose,  but  the 
church,  the  school,  and  twenty  other  build- 
ings, spared  by  the  flames,  still  act  as  a  centre 
of  attraction  for  the  population,  and  the  centre 

in 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

of  the  village  is  not  likely  to  be  shifted  so 
easily.  In  the  meantime  we  can  wish  Matrei 
safety  and  prosperity  in  the  continuation  of 
its  task  as  an  abode  for  men  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  ridges  and  snow  peaks  of  the  great 
Tauern  range. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

FRANZ   VON   DEFREGGER:    PAINTER   OF   THE 
PEOPLE 

PAINTING  is  perhaps  somewhat  of  a  rare 
accomplishment  among  Alpine  peoples. 
Technical  training,  such  as  is  required  even 
by  a  beginner,  is  difficult  to  obtain;  besides, 
paints,  brushes,  and  canvas  are  expensive,  — 
a  serious,  and  sometimes  a  final  consideration, 
among  mountaineers. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  art  impulse  in 
the  Alps  generally  turns  to  wood-carving. 
Every  mountaineer  has  a  knife  in  his  pocket, 
and  plenty  of  time  on  his  hands,  while  he  is 
tending  the  cattle  in  the  uplands,  or  during 
long  winter  evenings.  Nor  is  there  any  lack 
of.  wood  to  be  had  for  the  cutting. 

It  is  doubtful,  therefore,  whether  De- 
fregger  would  ever  have  had  a  chance  to 
paint  those  delightful  pictures  of  Tyrolese  life 
and  history,  had  not  his  father  been  a  man 
of  some  means. 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

The  painter  was  born  on  April  30,  1835, 
on  the  family  farm,  called  the  Ederhof,  in 
the  parish  of  Dolsach,  near  Lienz,  in  the  Pus- 
terthal.  Up  to  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  herded 
his  father's  cattle  and  horses  on  the  mountain 
pastures.  During  spare  moments  he  amused 
himself  by  drawing  and  carving  animals, 
according  to  the  abundance  of  models  con- 
stantly before  him. 

Thus  early  did  he  begin  to  sharpen  his 
powers  of  observation  and  to  acquire  that 
prodigious  memory  for  form,  which  has 
always  distinguished  him.  His  talent  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  inherited,  but  to  have 
asserted  itself  spontaneously,  under  favouring 
conditions.  He  was  thrown  from  infancy  into 
close  contact  with  the  life  of  all  outdoors, 
and  beauties  of  outline  and  colour. 

At  all  events,  the  boy's  artistic  progress  was 
not  retarded  by  any  sordid  struggle  for  exist- 
ence. 

After  his  father's  death,  Def regger  sold  the 
Ederhof,  and,  with  the  proceeds,  sallied  forth 
into  the  world,  to  become  a  painter.  Surely 
no  youth  ever  chose  his  life-work  with  less 
hesitation. 

First,  he  studied  drawing  in  Innsbruck 
under  Stolz,  a  teacher  in  the  Realschule; 

114 


Franz  von  Defregger 

thence  he  passed  to  the  School  of  Technical 
Arts  in  Munich,  spent  some  time  in  a  studio 
there,  and,  in  1867,  eventually  came  under 
the  famous  Piloty  at  the  Academy  in  that 
city. 

There  was  a  short  interval  of  diligent  prep- 
aration in  Paris;  then,  in  1868,  Defregger 
exhibited  his  first  work  in  Munich,  —  that 
genial  historical  painting,  called  "  Speck- 
bacher  and  His  Son  Anderl." 

The  subject  is  simplicity  itself. 

Joseph  Speckbacher,  one  of  the  leaders  in 
the  heroic  but  ill-fated  insurrection  of  1809, 
has  been  sitting  at  a  table  in  consultation  with 
his  fellow  patriots.  In  the  picture  he  is  seen 
standing  erect  and  astonished,  while  a  griz- 
zled old  soldier,  his  arm  around  little  Anderl, 
leads  the  boy  forward  toward  his  father.  A 
detachment  of  native  troops  is  seen  in  the 
doorway;  a  motherly  old  woman  looks  on 
with  folded  hands;  Speckbacher's  fellow 
councillors  crane  their  necks  to  get  a  better 
glimpse. 

That  is  really  all  there  is  to  the  picture,  and 
yet  what  depth  of  feeling  is  expressed! 

Anderl,  we  must  know,  has  raised  this  de- 
tachment himself,  to  help  his  father,  and, 
moreover,  the  brave  little  fellow  has  been 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

caught  searching  for  bullets,  fired  by  the 
enemy,  that  they  might  be  used  a  second  time. 
Hence,  Speckbacher's  expression  of  pride  and 
wonder,  the  broad  grin  of  the  veteran,  and 
Anderl's  clear,  happy,  upward  look  into  his 
father's  face. 

In  this  picture  Defregger  at  once  revealed 
those  qualities  which  were  to  endear  him  to 
men  and  women  the  world  over. 

First  of  all,  his  ability  to  tell  a  story,  to 
dignify  the  simplest  sort  of  a  situation.  No 
matter  whether  the  canvas  be  large  or  small, 
the  figures  few  or  numerous,  every  object  falls 
into  its  place,  and  is  handled  with  consummate 
skill,  to  emphasize  the  predominant  thought. 
Each  person  betrays  in  face  and  attitude  his  or 
her  special  point  of  view  toward  the  central 
character. 

But  many  an  artist  can  do  this  successfully, 
and  yet  leave  the  heart  cold. 

Now,  it  is  one  of  the  most  noticeable 
achievements  of  Defregger,  that  he  is  always 
tugging  at  our  heart-strings.  His  optimism 
is  irresistible;  he  is  all  wholesomeness,  vi- 
tality, joyous  exuberance.  His  power  of 
depicting  happiness  has  never  been  surpassed. 
Especially  is  he  past  master  of  smiling  faces. 
Surely,  nothing  in  art  can  be  more  full  of  glee 

116 


Franz  von  Defregger 

than  some  of  his  girls'  faces,  or  more  whole- 
hearted than  his  men! 

Although  Defregger  opened  his  career  with 
an  historical  picture,  he  did  not  at  once  con- 
tinue in  this  vein. 

Being  stricken  with  illness  in  1871,  he  re- 
turned to  his  native  mountains  in  order  to 
recuperate,  and  there  began  to  paint  the 
people  he  saw  about  him. 

Defregger's  pictures  can  be  divided  into 
certain  natural  groups,  according  to  subjects, 
and  it  is  more  satisfactory  to  consider  them 
in  this  manner  than  in  chronological  order. 

A  true  genre  picture,  for  instance,  is  the 
"  Faustschieber  "  (literally  Fist-shove rs). 

The  Tyrolese  are  so  fond  of  athletic  con- 
tests, that  they  have  invented  a  test  of  strength, 
even  when  they  are  sitting  down.  Two  men 
will  double  up  their  fists,  and  try  to  push  each 
other's  arms  off  the  table.  Sometimes  they 
shoot  out  their  right  hands,  and  hook  each 
other  by  the  middle  finger.  The  object  then 
is  to  pull  your  adversary  over  the  table,  and 
on  to  the  floor  on  the  other  side.  This  game 
is  called  Fingerhanggl'n. 

In  this  picture,  Defregger's  astounding 
faculty  for  expressing  thought  by  the  position 


117 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

of  the  body,  the  within  by  the  without,  is 
once  again  demonstrated. 

Not  only  is  this  true  of  the  contestants  them- 
selves, who  are  straining  every  nerve,  but  also 
of  the  spectators,  whose  feelings  are  brought 
out  by  different  expressions  and  attitudes. 
The  group  at  the  main  table  are  intensely 
interested  and  alert,  but  some  men  at  a  side- 
table  are  talking  unconcernedly,  and  a  little 
girl,  with  her  back  turned,  seems  absorbed  in 
her  knitting,  as  though  she  was  trying  to  pick 
up  a  stitch  which  she  had  just  dropped. 

It  is  characteristic,  too,  of  Defregger  that 
he  should  make  the  most  telling  use  of  all 
accessories  in  the  way  of  costumes  and  furni- 
ture, to  produce  the  illusion  of  reality.  A 
splendid  touch  is  provided  by  the  dog  of  one 
of  the  contestants,  which  has  jumped  up  in  the 
excitement  at  seeing  its  master's  exertions,  and 
is  trying  to  restrain  him  by  a  friendly  paw 
on  his  thigh.  Hardly  a  single  picture  of 
Defregger  but  contains  a  dog  or  two!  Es- 
pecially do  his  Dachshundchen  waddle  their 
way  into  our  affections. 

As  a  further  masterly  portrayal  of  peasant 
life,  take  the  "  Ankunft  auf  dem  Tanzboden  " 
(Arrival  on  the  Dancing-floor). 

A  Tyrolese  wedding  is  said  to  be  the  most 
118 


Franz  von  Defregger 

rollicking  sort  of  an  affair  imaginable.  The 
guests  often  arrive  the  day  before  the  mar- 
riage ceremony  is  to  take  place,  and  they  begin 
to  dance  at  once,  generally  in  the  big  room 
of  the  local  inn. 

The  key-note  of  this  picture  is  youthful  and 
jovial  exuberance.  A  young  fellow,  who  can 
no  longer  contain  himself  for  joy,  has  jumped 
up  from  where  he  was,  and  is  cutting  all  man- 
ner of  capers,  to  welcome  two  delightful  girls 
who  walk  in,  arm  in  arm,  smiling  with  gleam- 
ing teeth  and  dimpled  mouths.  Indeed, 
everybody  is  smiling  the  real  Defregger  smile 
in  this  picture.  It  is  contagious,  for  you  find 
yourself  doing  the  same,  as  you  look  on. 
What  a  sweep  of  fine  feathers  and  broad 
brimmed  hats  there  is,  and  what  enormous 
shoes  are  there  to  pound  the  floor  in  the 
rhythm  of  the  dance! 

Defregger  has  treated  the  dance  in  another 
picture,  called  "  Ball  auf  der  Aim "  (The 
Ball  on  the  Aim,  or  Summer  Pasture).  In 
this  case  an  old  hunter  is  dancing  with  a  girl, 
while  a  company  of  young  people  are  looking 
on,  much  amused. 

Outside  of  his  war  pictures,  which  are 
naturally  of  a  serious  nature,  the  painter  has 
for  the  most  part  chosen  happy,  often  humour- 

119 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

ous,  subjects.  Only  once  did  he  attempt  a 
tragic  scene,  and  that  was  toward  the  be- 
ginning of  his  career,  when  he  painted 
"  Der  Verwundete  Jager"  (The  Wounded 
Hunter). 

In  the  "Jager  in  der  Almhutte  "  (Hunt- 
ers in  the  Hut  on  the  Aim],  we  find  a  party 
of  hunters,  filing  out  of  an  Alpine  chalet. 
One  of  the  party  is  taking  leave  of  the  girl  in 
charge.  The  atmosphere  is  one  of  great 
friendliness. 

Among  the  most  successful  pictures  of  this 
type  must  be  counted  "  Der  Zitherspieler  " 
(The  Zither-player).  A  young  man,  of 
massive,  superb  build,  sits  in  a  hut,  playing  the 
zither.  The  instrument  lies  across  his  knees. 
Two  of  Defregger's  typical  girls  are  listening 
at  his  side. 

One  would  say  that  the  softening  and  re- 
fining influence  of  music  upon  these  rugged 
Alpine  people  was  the  thought  which  the 
artist  wished  to  suggest.  This  impression  is 
heightened  by  the  contrast  between  the 
player's  huge,  iron-shod  shoes,  rough  stock- 
ings, bare  knees,  and  the  delicate,  loving  touch 
of  his  hands  upon  the  strings.  One  can  almost 
hear  the  click  of  the  ring  on  his  thumb,  and 
the  long-drawn,  metallic  singing  of  the  zither. 

120 


Franz  von  Defregger 

Even  the  Dachshundchen  at  his  master's  feet 
seems  to  be  subdued,  and  made  thoughtful,  by 
the  music. 

The  same  theme  of  the  zither  is  less  impres- 
sively treated  in  a  picture  called  "  Auf  der 
Aim"  (On  the  Summer  Pasture),  and 
painted  a  few  years  before.  This  time  it  is 
a  girl  playing  to  her  friend  and  two  small 
boys. 

Defregger  has  been  reproached  for  appear- 
ing to  consider  the  commonest  occurrences  in 
daily  life  worthy  of  his  brush ;  for  taking  the 
trouble  to  depict  trivial,  domestic  happenings ; 
but  it  would  seem  that  the  painter  has  been  at 
his  best  whenever  he  has  simplified  his  situa- 
tions, and  though  his  historical  pictures  may 
live  among  his  countrymen,  and  deservedly, 
too,  on  account  of  the  interest  of  their  subject- 
matter,  yet  his  genre  pictures  of  the  inti- 
mate, homely  sort  are  more  likely  to  deter- 
mine his  position  in  the  great  world  of  art 
outside. 

Defregger's  list  of  genre  pictures  is  a  long 
one,  but  the  more  local  he  is,  and  the  truer 
to  the  Tyrol,  the  more  he  seems  to  reflect 
human  nature  at  large. 

His  "  Brautwerbung"  (Making  the 
Match),  for  instance,  is  an  exceptionally 

121 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

fine  piece  of  story-telling,  but  it  leaves  little 
room  for  the  imagination. 

A  father  and  son  have  called,  to  ask  for  the 
hand  of  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  house.  The 
old  man  is  full  of  genial  importance;  the 
lover,  a  callow  youth,  stands  awkwardly  be- 
hind, holding  a  bouquet  to  his  belt.  The 
mother  has  risen  to  greet  the  guests.  She  is 
all  friendliness.  The  chosen  girl,  in  the 
shelter  of  her  mother's  broad  back,  smiles 
knowingly  at  her  younger  sisters.  There  is 
also  a  grandmother  present,  and  the  acces- 
sories are  all  designed  to  fall  into  the  obvious 
situation. 

"  Der  Urlauber  "  (On  Leave  of  Absence), 
and  "  Kriegsgeschichten  "  (War  Stones),  are 
somewhat  alike. 

In  the  first,  we  find  a  young  soldier  in  the 
bosom  of  his  family.  Every  expression  and 
attitude  of  the  various  members  speak  of  joy 
at  his  home-coming,  down  to  the  little  brother, 
who  reaches  up  to  play  with  the  shining  brass 
buttons  of  the  uniform. 

In  the  second  picture,  the  soldier's  youthful 
face  looks  lean  and  worn,  as  though  he  had 
seen  hard  service.  He  wears  two  medals  on 
his  breast,  and  his  listeners  are  hanging  on  his 
lips. 

122 


Franz  von  Defregger 

From  a  purely  aesthetic  standpoint,  the  uni- 
form of  the -Austrian  private  does  not  lend 
itself  as  readily  to  artistic  effects  as  the  pictur- 
esque costumes  of  the  Tyrolese. 

In  "  Die  Heimkehr "  (The  Home-com- 
ing) ,  a  hunter,  on  his  return,  lifts  his  young- 
est child  from  its  mother's  arms,  while  a  little 
girl  begs  to  be  taken  up  also. 

As  for  children,  he  shows  them  to  us  with 
loving  solicitude  at  all  ages,  from  their  first 
arrival  to  their  adolescence. 

"Der  Besuch"  (The  Visit),  and  "  Der 
Erstgeborene  "  (The  First-born),  are  scenes 
laid  in  that  part  of  the  Tyrol  where,  until 
recently,  women  still  wore  tall  hats,  like  the 
modern  silk  hat  of  civilization.  In  both 
cases  a  young  mother  is  showing  her  wonder- 
ful baby  to  appreciative  friends. 

Those  blessed  little  things  in  "  Das  Tisch- 
gebet"  (Saying  Grace),  how  the  heart  ex- 
pands to  take  them  all  in;  from  the  eldest 
girl,  just  in  her  teens,  to  the  smallest  urchin, 
whom  grandmamma  is  teaching  to  fold  his 
hands! 

"Das  Erste  Pfeiferl"  (The  First  Little 
Pipe)  is  remarkable  for  the  exquisite  beauty 
of  the  mother,  who  stops  for  a  moment  in 


123 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

her  knitting,  while  the  father  amuses  their 
sturdy  little  boy  with  his  empty  pipe. 

Some  of  these  children's  pictures  have  small 
artistic  merit,  but  they  are  all  suffused  with 
a  loving  spirit. 

There  is  quite  a  group  of  Defregger  works 
which  may  be  called  his  tourist  pictures,  /.  e., 
they  deal  with  the  tourists,  as  they  are  brought 
in  contact  with  native  life,  the  two  elements 
acting  and  reacting  upon  each  other. 

They  generally  betray  a  gentle  satiric  touch, 
especially  that  best  known  one  of  this  class, 
"  Der  Salontiroler  "  (The  Parlour  Tyrolese, 
or,  as  we  might  say  out  West,  The  Tender- 
foot) . 

In  its  way,  this  work  is  inimitable.  A  city- 
bred  tourist,  in  brand-new  Tyrolese  toggery; 
two  giggling  peasant  girls  on  the  bench  at  his 
side ;  half  a  dozen  men  looking  on ;  those  are 
the  figures  for  the  tableau.  One  sees  at  once 
that  the  girls  are  making  fun  of  the  tourist, 
and  that  he  does  not  know  what  to  do  about 
it.  The  spectators  are,  of  course,  immensely 
amused,  but  the  victim  is  too  conceited,  and 
too  obtuse,  to  realize  his  situation.  Much 
skill  has  been  shown  in  conveying  the  gist 
of  the  joke. 

A  word  should  be  said  about  his  portraits, 
124 


Franz  von  Defregger 

which  are  unmatched  for  certain  vivid,  life- 
like qualities.  He  has  painted  many  girls' 
heads  and  half-lengths.  Into  these  he  has 
crowded  his  sense  of  beauty,  and  wholesome 
loveliness.  They  are  so  fresh,  these  young 
creatures,  bubbling  over  with  the  joy  of  living, 
and  so  thoroughly  harmonious  in  expression 
and  pose. 

One  of  his  best  men's  portraits  is  "  Franzl," 
the  perfect  embodiment  of  a  Teutonic  Tyro- 
lese,  with  his  fair,  curly  hair,  his  pipe  in  his 
mouth,  his  white  teeth,  and  sanguine,  sturdy 
temperament. 

Of  course  Defregger  has  idealized  his 
models.  The  Tyrolese  are  not  a  surpassingly 
handsome  race.  Divested  of  their  pictur- 
esque costumes  and  glorious  surroundings, 
they  might  possibly  become  uninteresting  and 
commonplace.  But  the  fact  remains,  that  in 
travelling  through  the  country  one  is  often 
tempted  to  exclaim:  "That  was  a  real  De- 
fregger type!" 

When  Defregger  returned  to  his  native 
country,  in  his  days  of  physical  suffering,  he 
painted  a  Holy  Family  for  the  altar  of  the 
parish  church  of  Dolsach,  and  latterly  he  has 
given  the  world  another  Madonna  of  singular 
beauty,  wherein  human  loveliness,  such  as  we 

125 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

recognize  in  his  portraits  of  women,  is  exalted 
and  spiritualized. 

The  patriotic  side  of  his  nature  is  empha- 
sized by  the  great  historical  canvases,  devoted 
to  Andreas  Hofer  and  the  war  of  1809.  In 
less  than  a  dozen  paintings,  he  has  set  forth 
the  national  struggle,  from  the  first  call  to 
arms,  to  the  final  heroic  act  of  the  peasant- 
commander,  striding  firmly  to  his  martyrdom. 
These  pictures,  or  copies  of  them,  are  to  be 
found  in  the  Ferdinandeum,  at  Innsbruck,  but 
for  a  running  commentary  and  text  I  beg  the 
reader  to  turn  to  my  chapter  on  "  Andreas 
Hofer." 

Take  it  all  in  all,  Defregger  has  deserved 
well  of  his  country,  as  in  turn  he  has  made  the 
most  of  the  material  which  the  Tyrol  could 
offer  an  appreciator  and  delineator  of  beauty. 
Defregger  has  had  many  successors  in  the 
same  field,  and  perhaps  some  imitators,  but 
within  his  own  circle  he  is  master.  His  art 
is  buoyant  and  young,  a  fact  which  certainly 
gives  it  long  life,  and  ensures  permanency  for 
that  which  is  true  and  good  in  his  work.  The 
Defregger  smile  has  already  taken  its  place 
in  art,  and  has  come  to  stay.  Its  beneficent 
and  benevolent  contagion  has  gone  around 


126 


Franz  von  Defregger 

the  world.  Def  regger's  kindliness,  his  sturdi- 
ness  and  gaiety,  have  won  the  hearts  of  men 
and  women  in  many  lands,  and  endeared  him 
to  a  grateful  and  faithful  host  of  friends. 


127 


CHAPTER  XIV 

BRIXEN 

THIS  little  town  forms  an  ideal  resting- 
place  for  visitors  to  the  Tyrol  who  have  been 
doing  the  mountains  to  the  north,  or  travelling 
among  the  attractions  to  the  south.  Although 
Brixen  has  a  population  of  only  five  thousand 
inhabitants,  with  a  garrison  of  possibly  five 
hundred  men,  yet  it  shelters  a  surprising  num- 
ber of  establishments,  namely,  a  cathedral,  an 
episcopal  palace,  twelve  churches,  five  monas- 
teries, an  episcopal  seminary,  an  imperial 
gymnasium,  a  girls'  boarding-school,  a  public 
school,  two  printing  establishments,  and  even 
a  hydropathic  establishment.  All  these  are 
maintained  in  this  alpine  town,  which  is  only 
a  little  larger  than  a  good-sized  village,  and  is 
surrounded  by  the  usual  green  slopes,  forests, 
and  cultivated  fields  of  the  Tyrol. 

In  the  town  proper  we  find  the  interesting 
narrow  streets,  bulging  upper  stories,  and 
peaked  roofs  of  quaint  mediaeval  structures, 

128 


CLOISTER    IN    BRIXEN 


Brixen 

while  the  crenelations  and  projections  upon 
the  houses  deserve  the  attention  of  wayfaring 
artists. 

The  name  of  Brixen  is  derived  from 
Prichsna,  a  royal  estate  which  Ludwig  the 
Child  gave  to  the  bishops  of  Saben  (above 
Klausen),  in  901.  In  1179  the  bishops  of 
Brixen  became  prince  bishops  of  the  German 
Empire,  and  their  see  a  principality.  At 
present  Brixen  no  longer  possesses  an  inde- 
pendent sovereignty,  and  the  jurisdiction  of 
its  bishops  is  solely  ecclesiastical. 

Fallmerayer,  the  Fragmentlst  (iJQO-  l86l) 

Philipp  Jacob  Fallmerayer,  commonly 
called  the  Fragmentist,  was  born  in  Tschotsch, 
a  village  perched  southward  from  Brixen 
above  the  valley  of  the  Eisack. 

His  father  was  a  poor  labourer,  but  the  boy 
was  able  to  attend  the  cathedral  school  of 
Brixen,  where  he  received  his  first  instruction 
in  Greek.  When  nineteen,  he  went  to  Salz- 
burg, and  continued  to  study  there,  giving 
lessons,  the  meantime,  in  order  to  make  a 
living.  He  was  at  Landshut,  when  the  great 
War  of  Liberation,  undertaken  by  the  allies 
against  Napoleon,  called  him  to  take  up  anm 

129 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

He  took  part  in  the  campaign  against  Paris, 
during  the  winter  of  1813  -  14.  After  the 
second  Peace  of  Paris,  in  1815,  he  was  sta- 
tioned for  half  a  year  near  Orleans,  in  a  castle 
inhabited  by  a  marquis  with  his  wife  and 
several  relatives.  In  later  years  he  was  wont 
to  refer  to  this  period  with  special  gratitude, 
as  having  turned  him  from  a  peasant  of  the 
Tyrol  into  a  man  of  the  world.  His  French 
accent  ever  after  remained  the  admiration  of 
those  who  knew  him. 

He  remained  in  the  army  as  lieutenant  until 
1818,  then  resigned,  and  returned  once  more 
to  teaching,  filling  places  in  Augsburg  and 
Landshut.  In  his  hours  of  leisure,  he  studied 
modern  Greek,  Persian,  and  Turkish,  with 
special  enthusiasm,  and  when  the  Academy  of 
Copenhagen  offered  a  prize  for  the  best  his- 
tory of  the  Empire  of  Trapezunt,  on  the 
Black  Sea,  he  at  once  went  to  work  on  original 
manuscripts  in  Vienna  and  Venice,  and  pro- 
duced a  work  which  received  the  prize,  and 
was  crowned  by  the  academy. 

His  second  work  was  a  History  of  the 
Peninsula  of  Morea  during  the  Middle  Ages. 
In  it  he  developed  the  idea  that  the  modern 
Greeks  were  in  reality  of  Slavic  origin. 

It  was  in  1831  that  a  seeming  accident 
130 


Brixen 

brought  him  in  contact  with  a  Russian,  Count 
Ostermann-Tolstoi,  who  desired  to  make  a 
trip  to  the  East,  and  was  looking  for  a  suitable 
companion.  The  count  invited  Fallmerayer 
to  accompany  him;  the  latter  accepted  joy- 
fully, and  the  two  started  promptly  for  Egypt. 

They  journeyed  up  the  Nile,  then  returned 
and  passed  into  Syria  and  Palestine,  over  to 
Cyprus  and  Rhodes,  and  up  the  coast  of  Ionia 
to  Constantinople.  Here  the  historian  wel- 
comed the  opportunity  to  practise  what  he 
knew  of  Turkish.  He  used  to  chat  by  the  hour 
to  chance  acquaintances  in  the  coffee-houses 
along  the  Bosphorus,  delighted  with  every 
new  word,  or  turn  of  speech,  which  he  could 
add  to  his  store  of  knowledge. 

Turkish,  ever  after,  remained  his  favourite 
among  the  many  languages  which  he  spoke. 
In  order  to  secure  Fallmerayer's  attention, 
it  was  only  necessary  to  ask  him  some  question 
concerning  Turkish  grammar  or  pronuncia- 
tion. He  would  then  sit  down  and  talk  of  the 
East  by  the  hour. 

From  Constantinople  the  travellers  passed 
through  the  Cyclades  to  Athens,  through 
Greece,  and  back  by  Naples.  At  this  point 
the  travelling  companions  parted,  but  Fall- 
merayer soon  renewed  his  peripatetic  studies, 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

taking  short  trips  to  Italy,  into  Southern 
France,  or  to  Paris,  and  spending  the  winter 
of  1839-40  in  Geneva,  with  his  former 
travelling  companion,  Count  Ostermann- 
Tolstoi. 

Then  the  spell  of  the  East  drew  him  once 
more  to  the  Black  Sea,  to  Trapezunt.  On  his 
way  back  he  hobnobbed  again  at  Constanti- 
nople with  his  long-bearded  acquaintances  of 
the  Bosphorus  coffee-houses.  On  Mount 
Athos  he  lived  with  the  monks,  in  Athens  he 
disputed  with  the  learned  Greeks  concerning 
their  historical  origin,  and  on  his  return  to 
Brixen  in  1842,  he  was  welcomed  and  ban- 
queted by  the  prince  bishop  himself. 

During  the  next  few  years  he  made  Munich 
his  headquarters,  and  began  to  publish  articles 
in  the  Allgemeine  Zeltung  concerning  his 
Travels  and  historical  studies  in  the  East. 
Then  came  his  "  Fragmente  aus  Jem  Orient/' 
which  gave  him  his  name  of  "  The  Frag- 
mentist."  The  introduction  to  this  last  work 
was  full  of  radical  utterances,  which  greatly 
stirred  German  thought  during  the  revolu- 
tionary years  before  1848.  In  fact,  Fall- 
merayer  was  elected  to  a  seat  in  the  National 
Assembly  at  Frankfurt.  He  belonged  to  the 
so-called  left  centre  of  the  Assembly,  which 

132 


Brixen 

insisted  upon  the  unconditional  subordina- 
tion of  the  separate  states  to  a  central  mon- 
archy. But  he  made  no  speeches,  and  had 
little  taste  for  constructive  political  work, 
though  he  stuck  to  his  post  to  the  end. 

When  the  National  Assembly  at  Frankfurt 
broke  up  in  1849,  Fallmerayer  joined  a  few 
representatives  in  continuing  the  so-called 
Rump-Parliament  in  Stuttgart,  until  that,  too, 
had  been  dissolved.  Then  he  passed  over 
the  frontier  into  Switzerland,  to  St.  Gallen. 

A  decree  of  amnesty,  issued  in  1850,  per- 
mitted him  to  return  to  Munich,  where  he 
lived  on  quietly  until  his  death  in  1861,  a 
notable  scholar,  who  had  enriched  the  his- 
torical knowledge  of  his  day,  a  critic  rather 
than  a  creator  in  literature  and  politics. 


133 


CHAPTER   XV 

THE   GRODEN   VALLEY 
Toy  Town  and  Toy  Land 

ABOUT  midway  between  Franzensfeste  and 
Bozen,  a  narrow,  gorgelike  valley  opens  un- 
expectedly toward  the  east.  A  carriage-road 
starts  from  the  station  of  Waidbruck,  passes 
through  a  toll-gate  under  the  shadow  of  the 
superb  castle  of  Trostburg,  and  penetrates  the 
rocky  defile  of  the  Grodnerthal.  It  leads  in 
three  hours  to  St.  Ulrich,  the  capital  of  Toy- 
land,  where  lives  a  race  of  mountaineers, 
whom  time  and  trade  have  transformed  into 
artists  and  artisans. 

Ever  since  the  late  Amelia  B.  Edwards 
passed  through  this  valley,  some  years  ago, 
and  described  its  curious  industry  in  her 
delightful  book,  "  Untrodden  Peaks  and  Un- 
frequented Valleys,"  English-speaking  tour- 
ists have  found  their  way  to  St.  Ulrich  in 
increasing  numbers. 

134 


The  Grbden  Valley 

After  its  long  climb,  the  Stellwagen  sud- 
denly turns  a  corner,  and  Toy  Town  spreads 
its  stately  white  houses  on  the  green  floor  of 
the  valley,  while  the  overpowering  Langkofel 
stretches  a  tower  of  blank  rock  straight  into 
the  sky. 

St.  Ulrich  looks  not  unlike  one  of  those 
Swiss  industrial  villages,  of  which  there  are 
many  off  the  beaten  track  of  tourist  travel. 
Neatness  is  paramount.  Many  houses  have 
their  windows  decorated  with  flowers,  from 
ground  to  garret.  There  are  plenty  of  hotels, 
and  even  private  houses  where  rooms  may  be 
had,  and  so  scrupulously  clean  are  such 
rooms,  that  they  literally  must  force  the  care- 
less to  contract  good  habits  of  order.  There 
are  even  quite  pretentious  villas  in  this  Alpine 
environment.  In  contrast  to  the  almost  citi- 
fied aspect  of  some  of  the  houses,  brown 
barns  are  freely  sprinkled  about,  built  in  a 
manner  peculiar  to  the  valley,  namely,  with 
galleries  running  completely  around,  some- 
times two  and  three  stories  high,  where  bun- 
dles of  grain  hang  to  dry,  and  the  carvers 
expose  their  wood  to  weather. 

St.  Ulrich,  and  neighbouring  villages  of 
the  Grodnerthal,  send  a  great  supply  of  toys 


135 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

and  images  of  saints  to  various  parts  of  the 
world. 

Some  of  the  largest  houses  in  the  village  are 
used  to  store  these  local  products,  the  Purger 
establishment  being  perhaps  the  largest  and 
best  known.  Upon  entering,  you  find  long 
shelves  full  of  playthings  in  packages,  vast 
rooms  lined  with  these  shelves;  whole  floors, 
for  example,  teeming  with  jointed  dolls, 
measuring  anywhere  from  half  an  inch  to 
twenty-four  inches  in  length,  and  costing 
from  two  kreuzers  to  three  florins  the  dozen. 
There  are  piles  of  horses,  painted  brown, 
gray,  or  yellow,  spotted  horses,  and  horses 
with  curious  conventional  black  lines  on  their 
backs,  such  as  no  real  horse  ever  ventured  to 
possess.  Other  animals  are  there  in  full  force, 
destined  to  go  into  Noah's  arks.  Certain  firms 
make  a  specialty  of  little  wagons,  others  of 
monkeys  climbing  sticks.  Almost  the  whole 
population  of  the  valley,  men,  women,  and 
children,  are  engaged  in  carving  these  toys, 
doing  their  work  with  incredible  deftness,  and 
by  a  system  of  minute  subdivision  of  labour. 
One  family,  by  tradition  and  heredity  alike, 
is  devoted  to  dolls,  another  to  horses,  or  to  cats 
and  dogs,  camels  and  elephants,  or  possibly 
to  Noah's  arks.  It  is  astonishing  to  see  with 
-136 


The  Grbden  Valley 

what  rapid  skill  the  characteristics  of  a  maned 
lion,  a  sneaking  fox,  or  a  fetching  poodle,  will 
be  whittled  out  of  a  square  piece  of  wood. 
The  products  of  this  work,  of  course,  have 
become  mechanical  and  stereotyped  in  ap- 
pearance. Although  certain  simple  con- 
trivances are  now  used  for  the  manufacture 
of  dolls?  the  animals  are  still  entirely  carved 
by  hand.  Figurines,  wearing  different  Tyro- 
lese  costumes,  require  special  care,  and  show  a 
considerable  advance  in  artistic  treatment 
over  the  mere  toys. 

It  is  no  unusual  sight  to  see  an  old  woman, 
tending  her  cows  on  the  slope,  and  whittling 
the  while,  as  in  another  valley  she  would 
probably  be  knitting  a  stocking.  At  the  end 
of  the  week  some  member  of  the  family  gener- 
ally carries  the  result  of  the  week's  labour  to 
the  great  storehouse  of  the  firm  which  controls 
the  family  output. 

On  a  much  higher  artistic  plane  than  this 
wholesale  manufacturing  of  toys,  stands  the 
carving  of  images  of  saints,  of  altars,  and  other 
ecclesiastical  fixtures.  This  work  is  done  in 
regular  studios. 

The  Grodnerthal  carving  industry  started 
from  small  beginnings.  As  long  ago  as  the 
seventeenth  century  a  certain  amount  of  carv- 

137 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

ing  was  done  in  the  valley;  the  statues  of  a 
Dominic  Winatzer,  for  example,  marked 
1682,  show  considerable  skill;  but  Johann  de 
Metz,  in  1703,  seems  to  have  been  the  man 
to  give  a  decisive  impetus  to  the  development 
of  carving.  Beginning  with  picture-frames, 
he  gradually  added  crucifixes,  saints,  and 
toys.  In  course  of  time,  peddlers  from  the 
Grodnerthal  wandered  over  the  whole  of 
Europe  with  their  wares,  even  crossing  the 
ocean  to  America.  Many  of  them  settled  in 
foreign  countries,  where  they  became  agents 
and  middlemen  for  the  thriving  home  in- 
dustry; many  of  them  also  returned  in  their 
old  age  and  in  affluence  to  their  native  valley, 
where  they  built  the  substantial  white  man- 
sions which  one  admires  to-day. 

At  the  present  time,  the  carver  no  longer 
carries  his  own  products  into  the  cities  for 
sale,  but  delivers  them  to  one  of  the  large 
local  firms,  which  deal  with  the  outside  world. 

The  only  wood  used  for  the  toys  and  saints 
was  originally  the  pinus  cembra,  which  grew 
abundantly  on  the  slopes  of  the  Grodnerthal. 
It  is  a  wood  which  is  peculiarly  adapted  for 
carving.  But  now  that  a  great  part  of  these 
forests  have  been  whittled  away,  or  have  gone 
into  the  wide,  wide  world,  disguised  as  dolls 

138 


The  Groden  Valley 

and  horses,  only  the  more  expensive  products 
are  made  of  plnUs  cembra,  while  the  frivolous 
toys  have  to  be  satisfied  with  inferior  woods. 
To-day  there  seems  to  be  no  immediate  danger 
of  the  extinction  of  the  pinus  cembra,  for  a 
great  part  of  the  needed  supply  comes  from 
the  neighbouring  valleys. 

An  imperial  school  of  drawing  and  model- 
ling has  been  established  in  the  Grodnerthal, 
as  well  as  a  permanent  exhibition.  Many 
young  men  also  take  a  few  years  in  Munich 
or  Vienna  to  work  in  the  studios  of  well- 
known  masters. 

As  far  as  toys  are  concerned,  they  have 
hardly  changed  in  several  generations.  As 
the  father  worked,  so  does  the  son;  as  the 
mother,  so  the  daughter  of  the  Grodnerthal. 
It  is  likely  that  the  horses  will  continue  to 
wear  those  unnatural  black  lines  on  their 
backs,  and  to  indulge  in  the  same  impossible 
spots  for  generations  to  come. 

The  Selser  Alp 

About  two  hours'  climb  from  St.  Ulrich 
brings  you  to  a  grassy,  undulating  upland,  the 
Seiser  Alp,  the  largest  haying  plateau  in  the 
Tyrol.  It  is  dotted  with  more  than  four  hun- 

139 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

dred  brown  barns,  and  almost  as  many  cook- 
ing sheds;  here  and  there  its  green  stretches 
are  broken  by  black  groves  of  pine ;  there  is 
the  murmured  gurgle  of  hidden  brooks;  the 
air  thrills  with  exuberance;  the  blue  sky  is 
above,  and  the  giant  Dolomites,  the  Schlern, 
the  Rosszahne,  the  Plattkofel,  the  Langkofel, 
the  Geislerspitzen,  etc.,  rear  their  strange 
shapes  all  around,  standing  guard.  A  short 
climb  to  the  top  of  the  Puflatsch  will  reveal 
still  greater  distances. 

Here  most  of  the  young  people  of  the  Grod- 
nerthal  and  neighbouring  districts  spend  a 
week  or  two  by  turns  during  haying  time.  It 
is  their  summer  holiday.  They  work  under 
the  brilliant  sun  in  long  rows;  they  eat  five 
times  a  day,  picnic-fashion,  in  jolly  groups 
on  the  fragrant  ground;  and  at  night  they 
sleep  on  the  new-mown  hay  in  the  barns,  while 
outside  the  vast  billows  of  the  alp  darken  and 
dampen  with  the  dew.  When  all  the  slopes 
and  level  stretches  of  the  Seiser  Alp  are  bare, 
they  descend  in  troops,  dressed  in  their  very 
best,  each  mower  wearing  in  his  hat  a  bunch 
of  mountain  pinks  and  rosemary. 

Not  less  interesting  than  the  extraordinary 
industrial  and  agricultural  activity  of  these 
people  is  their  history  and  language.  It  seems 

140 


THE  SELLAJOCH 

The  giant  Dolomites  .  .  .  rear  their 
strange  shapes  all  around,  stand- 
ing guard" 


The  Grbden   Valley 

to  be  now  generally  conceded  that  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  Grodnerthal  are  of  Raetian  origin. 
Whether  this  means  Etruscan  or  Celtic,  or  a 
mixture  of  both,  is  a  question  which  remains 
more  or  less  unsettled.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the 
prevailing  language  is  Ladin.  It  contains  at 
least  five  per  cent,  of  Raetian  words,  eighty 
per  cent,  of  vulgarized  Latin  ones,  and  fifteen 
per  cent,  of  German  ones.  This  mixture 
maintains  itself  with  a  tenacity  which  is  as- 
tonishing, considering  the  nearness  of  German 
influences.  Most  of  the  inhabitants,  it  is  true, 
now  speak  German  as  well,  but  often  with  a 
foreign  accent,  which  is  really  quite  pleasing. 
One  of  the  chief  reasons  why  Ladin  is  still 
cultivated  by  the  people  is,  that  they  find  it 
of  advantage  when  they  go  out  into  the  world 
as  peddlers.  It  gives  them  the  key  to  all  the 
other  Romance  languages;  in  a  few  weeks 
they  can  master  the  rudiments  of  Italian, 
French,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  etc.  As  ex- 
amples of  Ladin,  I  may  cite:  Urtischei,  the 
local  name  of  St.  Ulrich;  bona  seira,  is  good 
evening;  bot,  a  boy;  fuya,  a  pocket,  etc. 

Beyond  St.  Ulrich,  the  valley  rises  and 
narrows  gradually.  At  St.  Christina  a  superb 
view  awaits  you  from  the  church  terrace. 
From  up  there  the  green  slopes  and  the  red 

141 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

rocks  contrast  vividly,  while  the  edges  of  the 
torrent  look  as  though  embroidered  by  the 
white  foam.  Opposite,  the  Langkofel,  no- 
where else  so  majestic,  so  mysterious  and 
dominant,  rises,  sheer  and  gray,  above  the 
forests  of  the  foot-hills,  or  wraps  its  head  in 
lowering  clouds.  Not  a  blade  of  grass,  appar- 
ently, can  take  root  on  its  pitiless  flanks. 

There  was  a  time  when  several  families  of 
nobles  sat  perched  in  their  castles  upon  the 
surrounding  heights,  not  the  least  of  them 
being  the  Counts  von  Wolkenstein,  whose 
ruined  ancestral  seat  still  clings  to  the  steep 
side  of  the  mountain  above  St.  Maria  in  the 
Langenthal.  Schloss  Fischburg,  overlooking 
St.  Christina,  later  became  the  principal  castle 
of  this  family.  It  was  built  in  1622,  and 
appears  extremely  well  to  this  day. 

There  is  something  for  almost  every  type 
of  visitor  in  the  Grodnerthal.  The  mountains 
are  an  open  text-book  for  the  geologists;  they 
spread  their  violet  grays,  their  streaks  of  red, 
and  the  stains  of  yellow  before  the  eyes  of 
impressionistic  painters,  and  gladden  the 
hearts  of  the  expert  Dolomite  climbers. 


142 


THE    SANTNERSPITZE    OF    THE    SCHLERN    RANGE 


CHAPTER  XVI 

TWO  MINNESINGERS 

Walther  von  der  Vogelweide  and  Oswald  von 
Wolkensteln 

WHEN  one  travels  southward  over  the 
Brenner  Pass,  there  comes  a  place  where  the 
north  leaves  off  and  the  south  begins.  It  is 
somewhere  in  the  stretch  from  Brixen  to 
Bozen.  There  the  air  of  the  Alps  mingles 
with  the  breath  from  the  plain  of  Lombardy. 
The .  two  atmospheres  hold  one  another  in 
check.  Sometimes  they  overlap,  and  each 
cries  victory.  In  that  region,  too,  comes  a 
change  in  the  rocks.  The  common  limestone 
of  the  Teutonic  Tyrol  gives  way  to  fantastic 
Dolomite  formations,  and  to  pillars  of  vol- 
canic porphyry,  twisted  and  seared. 

In  this  same  region,  there  is  the  side  valley 
opening  from  Waidbruck,  where  a  remnant 
of  the  ancient  Raeti  stands  at  bay.  Put  your 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

finger  on  the  map  at  that  point  in  the  Bren- 
nerthal  where  the  Grodnerthal  joins  it,  for 
you  may  know  that  some  unusual  manifesta- 
tion must  have  taken  place  at  such  a  racial 
cross-roads.  And,  in  fact,  there  was  once  a 
veritable  nest  of  Minnesingers  there.  The 
greatest  of  them  all  was  born  there,  Walther 
von  der  Vogelweide,  and  within  hailing  dis- 
tance the  last  of  them,  Oswald  von  Wolken- 
stein.  Over  there  at  Klausen,  perched  on  its 
lofty  crags,  was  another  of  less  note,  Leuthold 
von  Saben,  but  we  will  not  stop  for  him  here. 

Walther  von  der  Vogelweide  (between 
Il68  -  75  and  1230) 

Neither  the  date  of  Walther's  birth  nor  the 
place  where  he  was  born  have  been  settled 
entirely  beyond  dispute.  For  the  first,  some 
year  between  1168  and  1175  is  generally  ac- 
cepted ;  for  the  second,  there  has  been  much 
shifting  of  ground  from  Franconia  to  Bohe- 
mia, then  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Sterzing, 
and  finally,  to  a  farm  above  Waidbruck, 
called  the  Vogelweidehof. 

In  1874,  Professor  Ignaz  von  Zingerle,  in 
the  presence  of  a  throng  of  scholars  and  poets, 
of  Tyrolese  townspeople  and  peasants,  un- 

144 


\ 

Two  Minnesingers 

veiled  a  marble  tablet  over  the  door  of  the 
farmhouse.  It  bears  the  following  inscription : 

"  Her  Walther  von  der  Vogelweide 
Swer  des  vergaeze,  der  taet  mir  leide. 
(Who  should  forget  him,  would  grieve  me). " 

The  women  of  Brixen  and  Bozen  united  in 
doing  honour  to  the  poet,  who  had  sung  so 
nobly  of  the  German  woman  of  his  day. 

This  tablet  and  the  statue  of  Walther  von 
der  Vogelweide,  in  near-by  Bozen,  have  prac- 
tically settled  the  question  of  his  birthplace, 
as  far  as  the  travelling  public  is  concerned. 

Walther  belonged  to  the  lesser  nobility 
(Dienstadel).  In  his  twentieth  year  he 
started  out  into  the  world  to  make  his  for- 
tune. First  he  went  to  Vienna.  At  the  court 
there  he  learned  to  "  sing  and  say,"  singen 
und  sagen,  i.  e.,  he  learned  both  music  and 
text.  From  this  period  date  most  of  his 
lively,  fresh  spring  songs.  But  he  did  not  con- 
fine himself  to  Minne-songs.  His  poems  tell 
us  a  good  deal  about  himself  personally  and 
about  contemporary  events.  He  wandered 
from  court  to  court  as  a  strolling  singer,  his 
fiddle  (Fiedl)  by  his  side.  He  tells  us  that  he 
travelled  "  from  the  Elbe  to  the  Rhine  and 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

into  Hungary.     From  the  Seine  to  the  Mur, 
from  the  Po  to  the  Trave." 

Walther  spent  the  years  between  1204  and 
1207  at  me  court  of  the  Margrave  of  Thu- 
ringia.  Poets  from  all  sides  were  attracted 
thither.  Tradition  has  represented  the  ri- 
valry between  the  different  poets  as  culminat- 
ing in  a  veritable  Poets'  War,  or  Sangerkrieg 
on  the  Wartburg.  Walther  took  part,  and 
five  other  Minnesingers.  Wolfram  von  Esch- 
enbach  carried  off  the  prize.  A  substratum 
of  historical  truth  seems  to  underlie  this 
Sangerkrieg. 

In  1228  he  accompanied  Frederick  II.  to 
the  Crusades.  Frederick  II.  had  given  him 
an  estate  near  Wiirzburg,  and  there  he  died 
in  1230,  two  years  after  his  return  from  Pales- 
tine. He  was  buried  in  the  Lorenzgarten  in 
front  of  the  door  of  the  new  Minster.  His 
burial-place  has  lately  been  rediscovered,  but 
not  his  tombstone.  This,  however,  was  still 
visible  in  the  eighteenth  century. 

According  to  tradition,  Walther  left  a 
bequest  in  his  will  from  which  the  birds  were 
to  be  fed  on  his  tomb  with  grains  of  wheat  and 
water.  Four  cavities,  to  contain  food  and 
drink,  were  said  to  have  been  hollowed  out  of 
the  tombstone. 

146 


Two  Minnesingers 

Longfellow  has  told  of  Walther's  bequest 
in  his  characteristic  singing  verse: 

"  Vogelweid  the  Minnesinger, 
When  he  left  this  world  of  ours, 
Laid  his  body  in  the  cloister, 
Under  Wiirzburg's  minster  towers. 

u  And  he  gave  the  monks  his  treasures, 
Gave  them  all  with  this  behest :  — 
They  should  feed  the  birds  at  noontide 
Daily  on  his  place  of  rest ; 

u  Saying  :  c  From  these  wandering  minstrels 
I  have  learned  the  art  of  song ; 
Let  me  now  repay  the  lessons 
They  have  taught  so  well  and  long.' " 

Walther  von  der  Vogelweide  was  the 
greatest  lyric  singer  of  Germany  during  the 
middle  ages.  Gottfried  von  Strassburg,  his 
contemporary,  in  his  poem  on  "  Tristan " 
(verse  4791),  praises  his  name  as  that  of  the 
master  of  them  all.  In  fact,  his  name  and 
influence  lived  on  through  the  following  era 
of  the  Meistersinger,  and  in  the  eighteenth 
century  the  study  and  appreciation  of  his 
work  revived. 

Miss  Charlotte  H.  Coursen,  in  an  article 
on  the  poet  in  The  Home  Journal  of  New 

147 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

York,  shows  true   appreciation  of  his   finer 
qualities.    She  says,  in  part: 

"  His  light-hearted  enjoyment  does  not 
preclude  a  genuine  religious  feeling,  —  often 
expressed,  as  in  his  devout  Morning  Hymn, 
and  also  when  he  says  that '  he  who  repeats  the 
ten  commandments  and  breaks  them,  knows 
not  true  love/  and  '  he  who  calls  God 
"  Father,"  and  treats  me  not  as  a  brother, 
uses  the  word  in  a  weakened  sense.'  His 
patriotism  found  expression  in  the  famous 
song,  '  Deutschland  iiber  Alles,'  beginning, 
'  Ye  shall  say  that  I  am  welcome,'  and  form- 
ing the  prototype  of  modern  German  patriotic 
songs.  Walther  is  true;  we  are  convinced 
that  he  feels  all  that  he  professes  to  feel.  He 
despises  hypocrisy.  *  God  knows,'  he  naively 
exclaims,  '  my  praise  should  be  always  given 
to  the  life  of  courts,  if  it  were  always  such  as 
beseems  courtiers,  and  if  word  and  deed 
accorded  well  together.  I  shudder  when  one 
smiles  on  me  without  a  reason,  —  honey  upon 
his  lips,  while  gall  is  in  his  heart.'  He  ad- 
dresses men,  and  speaks  of  them  in  a  frank  and 
manly  spirit,  while  for  women  he  shows  a 
truly  chivalric  regard.  He  never  wearies  of 
praising  the  beauty,  gentleness,  and  truthful- 
ness of  his  countrywomen,  and,  though  his 

148 


Two  Minnesingers 

love-songs  are  many,  he  sings  much  of  a  love 
which  rests  not  only  upon  the  beauty,  but  also 
upon  the  higher  qualities  of  women.  For 
children  there  is  evidently  a  warm  place  in 
his  heart,  as  shown  in  his  '  Teaching  of 
Children:7 

*  Would  you  safely  guide  them, 
Do  not  harshly  chide  them. 

He  who  aught  of  this  doth  know 
Gives  a  word,  and  not  a  blow. 

*  Children,  this  is  reason  ; 
Close  your  lips  in  season ; 
Push  the  bolt  across  the  door; 
Speak  those  angry  words  no  more.' 

"  And  so  on,  with  a  repeated  rhyme  in  each 
verse,  such  as  might  attract  the  fancy  of  a 
child. 

"  His  broad  sympathies  are  shown  in  a  spirit 
rather  unusual  for  that  time,  when  he  says: 
'  Christians,  Jews,  heathen,  all  serve  the  Great 
Sustainer  of  all.'  " 

The  modern  revival  of  interest  in  Walther 
is  due  not  only  to  his  work  as  an  artist,  but 
also  to  his  words  as  a  prophet.  He  stands 
close  to  the  German  heart  of  to-day  because  he 


149 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

sang  of  the  unity  of  Germany  and  worked  for 
that  ideal. 


Oswald  von  Wolkenstein  (1367  -  1445) 

There  is  something  fabulous  about  Oswald 
von  Wolkenstein's  career.  He  was  born  in 
1367,  in  Castle  Trostburg,  at  the  entrance  of 
the  Groden  Valley.  At  ten  years  of  age  he 
ran  away  from  home  to  join  a  company  of 
Tyrolese  knights,  who  followed  Duke  Al- 
brecht  III.  of  Austria,  upon  an  expedition 
against  the  heathen  Lithuanians.  He  re- 
mained several  years  in  the  state  founded  by 
the  Order  of  Teutonic  Knights,  then  at  the 
height  of  its  power,  perfecting  himself  in 
various  branches  of  military  service. 

Then  the  desire  to  wander  seized  him,  and 
he  passed  through  the  great  Hansa  ports  out 
into  the  wide  world,  a  man-at-arms,  a  fiddler, 
and  a  knight  errant  of  many  shifts.  He 
fought  for  the  Danish  Queen  Margaret 
against  the  Swedes;  with  the  Scotch  under 
Douglas  against  the  English.  He  visited 
London,  Ireland,  Russia;  was  shipwrecked  in 
the  Black  Sea;  penetrated  to  the  Euphrates 
through  Persian  Armenia;  and  worked  his 
way  homeward  as  cook  and  boatswain,  touch- 
ISO 


TOMBSTONE    OF    OSWALD    VON    WOLKENSTEIN 


Two  Minnesingers 

ing  at  the  island  of  Crete,  seeing  something 
of  Constantinople,  Greece,  Dalmatia,  and 
Venice. 

After  an  absence  of  fifteen  years,  Oswald 
returned  to  his  native  castle  in  the  Tyrol.  He 
was  only  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  had 
already  seen  a  great  part  of  the  then  known 
world.  He  did  not  stay  long  at  home,  for 
presently  we  hear  of  his  taking  ship  at 
Genoa  for  Alexandria  in  Egypt. 

In  Cairo  he  was  received  by  the  Sultan.  He 
prayed  on  Mount  Sinai;  entered  the  Holy 
Land  at  Jericho ;  made  verses  in  Bethlehem ; 
and  was  created  Knight  of  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre in  Jerusalem. 

On  his  homeward  journey,  Oswald  touched 
at  the  islands  of  Cyprus,  Malta,  and  Sicily. 
In  Italy  he  learned  to  know  Dante's  Divine 
Comedy  and  Petrarch's  lyrics. 

After  an  absence  of  three  years  he  returned 
to  the  Tyrol.  It  chanced  just  then  that  a  great 
historical  movement  was  pulsing  through  the 
German  Empire,  due  to  the  desire  on  the  part 
of  the  freemen  and  the  lesser  nobility  to  enter 
into  direct  dependence  upon  the  empire,  and 
to  do  away  with  intermediaries.  But  the 
Dukes  of  Habsburg,  having  been  driven  from 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Switzerland,  desired  nothing  so  much  as  to 
assure  their  position  in  the  Eastern  Alps. 

Knight  Oswald  von  Wolkenstein  became 
the  head  and  front  of  the  League  on  the  Etsch, 
directed  against  the  house  of  Habsburg,  and 
a  desultory  war  resulted,  lasting  twenty  years, 
in  which  Habsburg  finally  subdued  the  mem- 
bers of  the  lesser  nobility  one  by  one. 

During  a  lull  in  this  conflict  between  the 
League  on  the  Etsch  and  Habsburg,  Oswald, 
confirmed  globe-trotter  that  he  was,  once 
more  set  out  in  the  quest  of  adventure,  this 
time  to  fight  the  Moors  in  Spain. 

Singing  his  way  from  castle  to  court,  he 
stopped  one  day  at  Hohenschwangau,  on  the 
frontier  between  the  Tyrol  and  Bavaria. 
The  Schwangau  family  were  fond  of  music. 
A  daughter  of  the  house,  Margarethe,  knew 
Oswald's  songs,  and  sang  them  to  the  harp. 
The  two  fell  in  love  with  each  other,  and  were 
betrothed;  and  it  was  arranged  that  the  wed- 
ding should  take  place  on  Oswald's  return 
from  Spain. 

Thereupon  the  Minnesinger  continued  his 
journey  down  the  Rhine  to  Holland,  over  to 
England.  Thence  to  Portugal,  where  an 
expedition  was  just  being  arranged  against  the 
Moors  in  Africa.  He  helped  to  storm  Ceuta 


Two  Minnesingers 

(1411),  arrived  in  Granada,  where  he  was 
distinguished  by  Yussuf,  the  Red  King;  passed 
through  Castile,  was  proclaimed  a  second 
Cid,  and  reached  Aragon. 

He  landed  eventually  in  Genoa,  and  in 
1413  was  once  more  in  his  castle  in  the  Tyrol. 

He  met  his  betrothed  after  a  separation  of 
five  years,  and  they  were  married  in  1417. 
The  best  of  his  songs  were  written  to  her,  and 
through  them  the  fame  of  her  beauty  and  of 
her  virtues  passed  from  one  German  land  to 
another. 

There  is  extant  a  touching  letter  which  she 
wrote  him  a  few  weeks  before  his  death,  when 
he  was  seventy-eight  years  of  age,  and  was 
attending  the  sessions  of  the  Tyrolese  Land- 
tag in  Meran.  "  If  you  stay  longer  at  the 
Council  send  for  me.  .  .  .  Once  for  all,  I 
will  not  be  without  you,  here  or  elsewhere." 

His  body  lies  buried  in  the  Monastery  of 
Neustift,  and  in  the  cloisters  of  the  cathedral 
at  Brixen  there  is  an  upright  stone  which 
shows  him  in  the  armour  of  a  Crusader,  a 
sword  by  his  side,  with  fluttering  flag,  and  a 
lyre  that  seems  to  confirm  his  title  to  be  called 
the  last  of  the  Minnesingers. 


153 


SOUTHERN   TYROL 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE    BASIN    OF    BOZEN 

As  we  stray  southward,  the  grass  of  the 
uplands  shrivels  under  the  sun;  the  tall  pines 
shrink  to  bushes;  the  mountainsides  grow 
bare  and  burned.  The  clear,  hard  greens  and 
blues  of  the  north  turn  to  browns  and  laven- 
ders. The  cool  tonic  of  the  Alps  meets  the 
hot  air  from  the  plains.  Innsbruck  shakes 
hands  with  Verona.  The  vineyards  climb  up 
to  the  edge  of  the  chestnut  forests,  and  the 
flowers  seem  uncertain  whether  to  be  tropical 
or  arctic.  Then  we  know  that  we  have  strayed 
into  the  borderland  between  Romance  and 
Teutonic  Tyrol. 

Here  lies  the  city  which  the  Germans  call 
Bozen,  and  the  Italians  Bolzano.  Take  your 
stand  on  the  Talfer  bridge,  and  use  your  eyes 
well. 

Cyclopean  walls  stand  around  about  the 
basin  of  Bozen;  here  brown-red  precipices  of 
porphyry,  blistering  in  the  heat,  upon  which 

157 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

the  cypress  and  the  cactus  grow;  there,  bare, 
gray  masses,  shadeless,  and  Oriental.  Here 
are  arboured  vineyards,  studded  with  summer 
houses  and  shrines,  there  many  castles  tower 
from  many  crags  and  spurs.  Here  a  vista  of 
the  valley  of  the  Etsch  goes  a-narrowing  and 
its  mountains  a-stooping  toward  the  south; 
there,  in  the  east,  the  group  of  the  Rosengar- 
ten  points  transcendental  flowers  to  the  utmost 
sky. 

The  basin  of  Bozen  is  an  extraordinary 
meeting-place  of  the  elements.  There  is  fire 
in  the  volcanic  rocks  and  in  the  unrelenting 
sun;  water  in  the  unruly  confluence  of  Talfer 
and  Eisack,  and  of  Etsch,  lower  down;  and 
air,  —  there  is  air  to  suffuse  everything  and 
give  it  charm. 

Bozen  acts  very  like  a  chameleon.  When 
you  approach  it  from  the  south,  t!he  town 
looks  German;  when  you  come  from  the 
north,  it  shows  the  nearness  of  Italy.  Every- 
thing depends  upon  the  point  of  view,  but,  in 
truth,  Bozen  the  town  is  Teutonic  amid  a 
Romance  environment.  The  Teutonic  touch 
is  on  everything  within  the  town,  on  the 
painted  iron  scrollwork  signs,  on  the  fat 
draught-horses,  and  on  the  one-horse  cabs, 
made  for  two.  You  see  the  Teutonic  tone 

158 


The  Basin  of  Bozen 

especially  in  the  scrupulous  cleanliness  of  the 
streets.  Still,  Italian  is  heard  more  and  more 
about  town  every  year.  Most  of  the  citizens 
have  learned  to  speak  that  language  when 
necessary.  Bozen  proper  has  over  thirteen 
thousand  inhabitants,  of  whom  some  fifteen 
hundred  are  of  Italian  race.  Including  the 
suburbs,  the  population  can  be  reckoned  at 
twenty  thousand.  Another  twenty  thousand 
persons,  strangers,  pass  through  Bozen  annu- 
ally as  transient  visitors. 

All  roads  seem  to  lead  to  Bozen.  It  is  the 
cross-roads  for  the  Brenner  and  the  Vintsgau 
route:  the  Stelvio  and  the  Finstermunz. 
From  time  immemorial  generals  have  passed 
here  with  their  armies,  emperors  and  pilgrims 
to  Rome,  and  merchants  plying  between  Ger- 
many and  Italy.  Now  the  tourists  keep  up 
the  traditions  of  travel,  but  Bozen,  unlike 
Meran,  does  not  depend  upon  them  absolutely. 
It  is  no  mere  resort,  it  is  a  business  centre;  it 
has  local  products,  especially  in  the  way  of 
wine  and  fruit. 

Have  you  ever  eaten  Bozen  preserves? 
There  is  a  regular  Actiengesellschaft  fur  Con- 
servirte  Fruchte  in  Bozen.  When  you  first 
taste  these  conserved  fruits,  you  think  there 
has  been  a  mistake,  for  the  fruits  are  in  mus- 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

tard.  But  many  people  like  fruit  thus  pre- 
served to  eat  as  a  relish  with  meat. 

Bozen,  like  Innsbruck,  began  life  as  a 
bridge. 

On  a  Roman  itinerary,  traced  during  the 
reign  of  Emperor  Theodosius,  the  name  Pons 
Drusi  appears  on  the  spot  where  Bozen  now 
stands.  Later  a  curious  collection  of  names 
covered  the  spot:  Bauxare,  Pauzana,  Baza- 
num,  Bosanum,  Bozan,  Bulsanum.  Out  of 
this  assortment  the  Germans  picked  a  Bozen 
for  themselves,  and  the  Italians  a  Bolzano. 
The  place  proved  an  apple  of  discord  between 
the  Counts  of  Tyrol  and  the  Bishops  of  Trent, 
and  received  some  hard  knocks  in  a  tussle  for 
possession  between  the  two.  Many  fires,  and 
repeated  inundations  by  the  Talfer  also  did 
their  work,  but  at  length,  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  came  the  golden  age  of  Bozen. 

Through  certain  special  privileges,  granted 
by  the  ruling  archdukes,  Bozen  became  an 
important  centre  of  the  transport  trade  be- 
tween Venice,  Verona,  and  the  German  cities 
of  the  north.  Population  increased,  and  the 
name  of  Bozen  became  known  from  the 
Adriatic  to  the  North  Sea.  It  produced  an 
aristocracy  of  trade  which  was  different  from 
the  aristocracy  of  the  castles  around  about.  It 

1 60 


The  Basin  of  Bozen 

was  a  smaller  Augsburg  or  Nurnberg,  with 
wealthy  patricians  and  big  purses  of  its  own. 
The  four  fairs  of  Bozen  were  international 
functions  in  those  days,  and,  in  changing  much 
money,  the  bankers  of  Bozen  allowed  a  good 
deal  of  the  gold  dust  to  stick  to  their  fingers, 
as  was  right  and  proper. 

Bozen  is  not  what  it  was  then,  relatively 
speaking,  but  its  present  growth  is  wholesome, 
and  there  is  said  to  be  a  good  deal  of  money 
saved  up  for  a  rainy  day.  Society  amuses  it- 
self in  a  really  sociable  way,  with  almost  as 
many  clubs  and  societies  as  a  Swiss  town  of  its 
size  would  have.  Besides,  Bozen  is  the  seat  of 
several  K.  K.  institutions,  of  a  judicial  and  an 
administrative  district.  It  has  a  chamber  of 
commerce  and  many  schools. 

In  our  sightseeing  through  Bozen,  we  can- 
not do  better  than  begin  with  the  parish 
church.  A  street,  shaded  by  horse-chestnut- 
trees  and  flanked  by  public  gardens,  leads 
straight  from  the  station  to  the  church. 

The  building  is  not  easily  overlooked.  It 
is  so  intensely  Teutonic,  so  distinctly  Gothic, 
after  the  many  basilicas  of  the  Latin  lands 
toward  the  south.  There  is  a  slim  steeple  of 
openwork  design,  fretted  and  carved  out  of 
good,  honest,  red  stone.  There  is  also  a  gay 

161 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

roof  of  green  tiles  in  pattern.  The  church 
might  almost  be  standing  in  Swabia  itself, 
imitating  the  red  sandstone,  the  tall  pines,  and 
the  green  foliage  of  the  Black  Forest! 

When  all  other  signs  fail,  the  people  of 
Bozen  will  always  be  able  to  point  to  their 
parish  church,  as  proof  that  they  are  of  Ger- 
man stock. 

And,  in  fact,  when  we  come  to  investigate, 
we  find  that  the  steeple  was  built  by  Johannes 
Lutz,  from  Schussenried,  in  Swabia,  during 
the  years  1501  and  1519.  There  were  origi- 
nally two  towers,  but  one  had  to  be  torn  down 
more  than  five  hundred  years  ago,  after  an 
earthquake,  and  the  second  suffered  so  much 
by  fire,  that  Lutz  had  to  rebuild  it  entirely 
in  its  present  form.  The  church,  as  a  whole, 
and  as  it  stands  to-day,  is  fourteenth-century 
work;  only  the  west  portal,  with  two  lions  in 
Lombard  style,  seems  to  date  from  an  earlier 
building.  From  another  period,  also  (1514), 
dates  the  elaborate  pulpit  in  stone. 

A  statue  to  Walther  von  der  Vogelweide 
stands  in  the  square  called  the  Johannsplatz. 
It  is  the  work  of  a  Tyrolese  sculptor,  the  late 
Heinrich  Natter.  This  artist  was  born  in 
Graun,  a  hamlet  in  the  Vintsgau,  not  far  from 
Nauders.  The  Hofer  statue  on  Berg  Isel,  and 

162 


STATUE   OF    WALTHER    VON    DER   VOGELWEIDE   IN    BOZEN 


The  Basin  of  Bozen 

this  statue  of  Walther  von  der  Vogelweide, 
are  his  two  main  contributions  toward  the 
praise  of  his  native  land.  <He  was  a  simple 
man  of  the  mountains,  filled  with  an  intense 
appreciation  for  the  heroic  qualities  inherent 
in  the  Tyrolese  subjects  he  treated.  He  was 
also  the  sculptor  of  the  notable  statue  of 
Ulrich  Zwingli  in  Zurich,  Switzerland. 

Those  are  happy  summer  evenings  in  the 
square  when  the  band  plays.  Many  kinds  of 
people  sit  at  many  tables,  belated  tourists 
eating  their  suppers,  or  citizens  out  for  an 
airing.  There  are  wonderful  Alpine  climb- 
ers, with  enormous  shoes,  short  breeches,  and 
peeling  noses.  They  may  look  red  and  un- 
shaven, but  they  feel  triumphant.  There  are 
pretty  gentlemen  in  green  hats  with  curly 
feathers,  who  are  doing  their  mountains 
mostly  in  the  Stellwagen.  There  are  German 
professors  who  find  this  borderland  between 
German  and  Italian  influences  a  happy  hunt- 
ing-ground for  etymological  derivations. 
Some  ladies  have  dressed  for  dinner  in  fluffy 
light  things,  others  glory  in  weather-stained 
green  woollens,  and  wear  hobnailed  shoes. 

The  basin  of  Bozen  can  become  decidedly 
hot  in  summer,  even  for  Americans;  it  is 
hotter,  the  statistics  say,  than  Trent,  though 

163 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

the  latter  lies  farther  south.  The  sun  shines 
with  steady  rays,  baking  and  broiling  and 
driving  the  people  indoors  for  a  noonday 
siesta.  Business  comes  to  a  standstill  in  the 
middle  of  the  day.  Only  under  the  arcades 
is  a  languid  interest  in  commercial  activity 
still  maintained.  All  those  who  can,  go  to  the 
mountains  for  July,  August,  and  part  of 
September.  They  leave  for  the  Ritten,  the 
Schlern,  or  the  Jenesien,  to  spend  their  Som- 
merfrische  up  there,  their  summer-cooling-ofL 
Those  who  cannot  afford  to  go  away  entirely, 
content  themselves  with  a  Saturday-to-Mon- 
day  trip  in  the  heights.  The  people  of  Bozen 
know  a  great  many  little  nooks  and  ledges  on 
the  sides  of  their  basin,  many  plateaux  on  top, 
where  you  can  have  all  the  luxuries  of  the 
Alps  for  next  to  nothing:  milk  fresh  from  the 
cow,  and  air  straight  from  the  snow. 

The  Laubengasse  recalls  the  central  street 
of  Bern.  There  are  the  same  arcades  on  either 
hand,  the  same  sidewalks  sheltered  from 
sun  and  rain,  where  stores  display  their  wares 
and  form  a  continuous  bazaar.  The  half- 
light  produces  a  feeling  of  friendly  intimacy 
and  hospitality.  The  Mercantil-Gebaude, 
about  midway  on  the  Laubengasse,  is  an  ornate 
building,  finished  in  1717,  and  containing  a 

164 


The  Basin  of  Bozen 

large  hall,  used  for  festivities,  and  especially 
for  exhibitions.  As  in  Bern,  so  here,  there  are 
many  passages  through  the  houses  that  are 
used  by  the  public.  They  are  short  cuts  from 
the  Laubengasse  to  the  parallel  Silbergasse 
and  Karnergasse. 

The  Obstplatz,  however,  is  distinctly  of 
Bozen  and  not  of  Bern,  for  the  fruits  and 
flowers,  brought  there  for  sale,  look  and  smell 
of  the  semi-tropical  southern  foot  of  the  Alps. 
Even  almonds,  figs,  and  melons  grow  in  the 
open  air.  There  is  no  longer  much  costume 
in  Bozen,  but  you  will  generally  see  what  is 
left  of  it  on  the  Obstplatz.  There  the  women 
vendors  wear  short  white  sleeves,  caught 
above  the  elbow  by  an  elastic  or  ribbon.  A 
bright  kerchief  is  folded  over  the  shoulders 
and  bosom,  with  a  corner  pointing  down  the 
back.  It  is  especially  the  women  who  sell 
mushrooms  and  yellow-red  gourds  for  drink- 
ing vessels,  who  cling  to  the  local  costume. 
If  the  men  wear  green  hats  with  feathers,  that 
is  all  that  can  be  expected  of  them  nowadays. 

Take  it  all  in  all,  if  the  guide-books  must 
liken  Bozen  to  some  other  foreign  city,  per- 
haps they  may  as  well  call  it  "  The  Florence7 
of  the  Tyrol."  The  resemblance  is  not  very 
close,  but  Bozen  certainly  does  grow  a  great 

165 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

many  flowers,  and  does  have  a  special  annual 
flower-market  on  the  first  of  May. 

There  is  a  Rathhaus,  a  museum  where  most 
of  the  Tyrolese  peasant  costumes  are  shown, 
a  palace  of  the  Archduke  Henry  on  the 
Johannsplatz,  a  new  Biirgersaal,  not  far  from 
the  station,  and  even  a  theatre,  so  that  Bozen  is 
a  thoroughly  well  equipped  modern  city.  Its 
sturdy  inhabitants  are  doing  much  to  enhance 
its  beauties,  and  its  growing  popularity  with 
strangers  from  many  lands  is  proof  that  the 
good  people  of  Bozen  make  the  best  of  hosts. 


166 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE  ROSENGARTEN  —  A  GARDEN  OF  ROSES 

To  the  east  of  Bozen  rises  the  mountain 
group  to  which  the  poetical  name  of  the 
Rosengarten  has  been  given.  The  roses  in 
this  garden  are  of  rock,  and  only  bloom  at 
sunset!  They  are  literally  flowers  of  stone. 
Their  thorns  are  sharp  pinnacles  of  chalk  and 
magnesia,  and  their  fragrance  is  the  keen, 
sweet  smell  which  rises  from  beds  of  snow, 
and  wastes  of  stone,  and  stretches  of  summer 
pastures! 

The  finer  the  day,  the  farther  it  fades,  this 
Garden  of  Roses.  The  more  treacherous  the 
weather,  the  nearer  it  draws.  The  hotter  the 
morrow,  the  redder  the  roses.  The  sun  sinks 
behind  the  Guntschnaberg,  and  the  Garden  of 
Roses,  facing  west,  receives  the  full  force  of 
its  parting  rays.  A  violet  twilight  creeps 
over  the  plain,  city,  and  foot-hills.  The  roses 
blush,  then  glow  like  red-hot  iron.  The 

167 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

violet  pursues  the  red  up  the  precipices.  The 
shadows  follow  the  colours  foot  by  foot. 

Suddenly  there  are  ashes  of  roses  against 
the  sky.  The  sun  has  burned  up  the  flowers. 

This  nightly  wonder  of  the  blushing  rocks 
has  had  its  own  particular  effect  upon  the 
people  of  Bozen.  Some  fantastic  fellow,  as 
he  watched  it  on  a  summer  evening,  called  the 
company  of  reddened  peaks  a  Rosengarten, 
and  presently  somebody  else,  I  believe  it  was 
a  certain  Heinrich  von  Ofterdingen,  made  a 
full-blown  legend  to  grow  up  there,  one  of 
the  many  romances  in  which  the  redoubtable 
Dietrich  von  Bern,  Theodoric  of  Verona,  is 
represented  as  swinging  his  great  sword  Sachs. 

To  this  day  the  people  of  Bozen  call  a  snow- 
patch  just  under  the  summit  of  the  highest 
peak,  the  Gartl,  or  Little  Garden. 

The  legend  of  the  Rosengarten  is  as  fol- 
lows :  The  dwarf  king,  Laurin,  had  his 
crystal  palace  in  the  interior  of  the  mountain 
mass,  and  there  he  hid  away  the  golden-haired 
sister  of  Dietlieb  of  Steier,  a  henchman  of 
Dietrich  of  Bern.  But  Knights  Dietlieb  and 
Dietrich,  with  their  swordsmen,  came  up 
quickly  from  Verona,  from  the  land  where 
the  Etsch  is  called  the  Adige,  and  penetrated 
into  the  mountain  through  a  grotto  at  the  foot 

168 


The  Rosengarten 

of  the  Schlern,  whereupon  Dietrich  defeated 
Laurin,  in  spite  of  the  latter's  magic  spells, 
but  spared  his  life  at  the  request  of  Dietlieb. 
Laurin,  in  return,  set  drugged  wine  before  his 
guests,  so  that  when  they  awoke,  they  found 
themselves  bound  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth. 
Then  it  was  that  Simild,  the  sister,  came  and 
freed  them.  Finally  Dietrich  and  his  knights 
fought  Laurin  and  his  dwarfs  and  giants,  trod 
the  roses  under  foot,  and  took  Simild  and 
Laurin  back  with  them  to  Verona. 

This  story  explains  why  the  roses  no  longer 
bloom  as  steadily  as  they  used  to  do,  but  only 
glow  for  a  few  minutes  on  fine  evenings. 

The  key  to  the  underground  palace  of  the 
elfin  king  was  lost  somehow  during  the  dark 
ages,  but  it  is  still  possible  to  climb  up  into 
the  Rosengarten  and  tread  its  mazes. 

There  are  three  main  entrances  to  the 
Rosengarten  on  the  Teutonic  side :  one  from 
Kardaun  through  the  Eggenthal  to  Wel- 
schnofen,  another  from  Blumau,  by  the  valley 
of  Tiers  and  Weisslahn-Bad,  and  a  third  from 
Waidbruck,  over  Kastelruth  and  Vols.  But 
open  the  garden  gate  of  your  own  choice,  and 
pluck  your  own  roses.  You  will  soon  find 
that  some  of  these  tall  flowers  are  not  to  be 
picked  by  ordinary  climbers. 

169 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

The  English  are  said  to  have  been  the  first 
climbers  in  the  Rosengarten.  Messrs.  C.  C. 
Tucker  and  F.  H.  Carson  made  the  first 
ascents  in  1874.  Now,  practically  every  tower 
and  pinnacle  has  been  ascended.  Nothing  is 
too  steep,  too  exposed,  or  too  smooth  for  the 
new  school  of  Dolomite  climbers.  The  Ger- 
man-Austrian Alpine  Club  has  covered  the 
approaches  with  signs  and  shelter-huts.  In 
1887,  a  student  named  Winkler,  from  Munich, 
ascended  the  most  southern  of  the  Vajolett 
towers,  which  had  been  considered  impreg- 
nable up  to  that  time.  It  has  now  been  called 
after  him  the  Winklerthurm.  Then  came 
another  climber  "  without  guides,"  Delago  of 
Brixen,  who  conquered  the  last  arid  most 
difficult  of  the  Vajolett  towers,  and  gave  it 
the  name  of  Delagothurm.  Among  the  ex- 
traordinary feats  in  the  Rosengarten,  must  be 
mentioned  the  trip  of  the  late  Norman- 
Neruda,  son  of  the  famous  violinist,  Lady 
Halle,  with  Dr.  H.  Lorenz  of  Vienna,  and 
R.  V.  Arvay  of  Graz,  who  crossed  over  the 
Funffingerspitze  twice  in  one  day,  from  south 
to  north,  and  from  west  to  east.  Two  English- 
men, G.  S.  Raynor,  and  J.  S.  Phillmore,  of 
Oxford,  with  two  guides,  also  accomplished 
what  must  be  counted  among  the  most  diffi- 

170 


THE    WINKLERTHURM 


The  Rosengarten 

cult  feats  in  the  whole  range  of  the  Alps: 
with  two  guides  they  climbed  directly  up  the 
terrible  eastern  precipices  of  the  Rosengarten 
to  the  top.  A  growing  number  of  women  also 
take  part  in  this  marvellous  rock-work.  In 
fact,  only  the  journals  of  the  various  Alpine 
clubs  can  do  justice  to  this  life  above  the  snow 
line. 

The  majority  of  visitors  to  the  Rosengarten 
are  happy  if  they  can  only  wander  about  at 
the  foot  of  these  tall  standard  roses,  and  sniff 
their  perfume  from  below.  The  whole  dis- 
trict of  the  approaches  is  rich  in  natural 
beauties.  Nowhere  else  in  the  Tyrol  are  the 
brooks  more  crystalline,  when  they  flow  over 
their  beds  of  white  stone.  The  Karersee  itself 
is  a  small  lake  which  reflects  the  Latemar  as 
clearly  as  the  Diirrensee  does  Monte  Cristallo, 
and  its  blue  has  the  same  silvery  sheen  as  the 
famous  Blue  Lake,  on  the  way  from  Spiez  to 
Kandersteg  in  Switzerland.  This,  too,  is  a 
region  of  many  hamlets  and  summer  hotels. 

The  writer  entered  the  Rosengarten  from 
the  Romance  side,  one  July  day,  from  Perra, 
in  the  Val  Fassa.  The  path  lay  through  a 
valley  whose  very  name,  Val  Vajolett,  seemed 
to  conjure  up  the  smell  of  flowers.  As  the 
path  mounted^  the  rich  firs  slowly  degen- 

171 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

crated  into  shrubs,  and  then  ceased  altogether. 
There  followed  the  white  rocks  of  the  upper 
solitudes,  the  characteristic  Dolomite  debris; 
then  occasional  snow-patches  lay  in  the  shade; 
and  finally  the  peaks  of  the  Rosengarten  itself 
rose  in  a  ring,  forming  a  vast  cauldron. 

Large,  unstable  clouds  drifted  along  the 
precipices,  dwelling  here  and  there,  caress- 
ingly, as  though  stroking  the  cheeks  of  loved 
ones;  elsewhere  little  woolly  clouds  hovered 
from  peak  to  peak,  like  busy  bees  among  the 
flowers,  while  thin  streamers  wound  in  and 
out,  twining  themselves  like  ribbons  of  tulle 
around  and  about  to  bind  all  the  roses  together 
into  a  united  picture  of  loveliness  and  exalted 
thought. 

Round  about  the  Basin 

Out  on  the  highways  and  byways  of  Bozen 
there  is  so  much  of  beauty  to  stimulate  interest, 
that  almost  anybody  might  become  a  Minne- 
singer on  the  spot. 

Gries  is  a  favourite  suburb.  It  has  a  winter 
promenade  on  the  hillside,  much  like  Meran, 
and  there  is  a  Curhaus  with  regular  concerts. 

There  is  also  an  ancient  suburb  of  Bozen, 
called  Zwolfmalgreien,  but  the  delimitation 
of  its  boundaries  is  now  difficult  to  trace.  The 

172 


The  Rosengarten 

station  of  Bozen,  for  example,  is  said  to  be  in 
Zwolfmalgreien,  and  not  in  Bozen-town 
proper.  The  name  is  of  interest  as  an  example 
of  Teutonized  Latin.  Etymologists  derive 
"  malgreien  "  from  malga  or  malgaria,  mean- 
ing an  Alpine  dairy.  Before  the  Romans 
introduced  the  vine  into  the  land,  the  place 
was  probably  the  seat  of  twelve  dairy  huts. 

One  morning  we  can  stroll  up  the  Calvari- 
enberg;  another  day  the  Jenesien  beckons  to 
us  from  the  north.  But  finally  the  visitor's 
attention  is  sure  to  be  drawn  to  the  heights 
between  the  Talfer  and  the  Eisack  valleys, 
where  lies  the  table-land  of  the  Ritten,  espe- 
cially beloved  of  the  people  of  Bozen.  It  is  a 
vast  summer  resort,  between  three  and  four 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  within 
easy  reach  of  the  bottom  of  the  basin,  and  yet 
refreshed  by  the  air  of  the  Alps,  and  rejoicing 
in  an  unmatched  outlook  over  the  Dolomites. 
Oberbozen  and  Klobenstein  are  the  chief 
villages  of  the  Ritten. 

Attention,  also,  should  be  called  to  the 
peculiar  earth  pyramids,  near  the  hamlet  of 
Lengmoos,  on  the  northeastern  flank  of  the 
Ritten.  Similar  formations  occur  in  other 
parts  of  this  district.  These  pyramids  are 
apparently  the  remains  of  an  ancient  moraine, 

173 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

the  refuse  from  an  extinct  glacier.  Exposed 
to  the  action  of  water,  frost,  and  wind,  the 
side  of  the  moraine  has  been  worn  into  col- 
umns, surmounted  by  stones,  like  capitals,  the 
whole  forming  a  fantastic  array  on  the  moun- 
tain flank. 

If  you  move  your  finger  afield  on  the  map 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bozen,  a  galaxy  of 
names  of  castles  follows  closely,  each  with 
its  artistic  or  martial  meaning:  Karneid, 
Runkelstein,  Sigmundskron,  Greifenstein, 
Haselburg,  Eppan,  and  others,  until  finally, 
near  Meran,  we  come  to  Castle  Tyrol  itself, 
which  has  given  its  name  to  the  whole  coun- 
try. 

Toward  the  southwest  from  Bozen  the 
range  of  the  Mendel  looms  into  view,  pre- 
senting a  wall  toward  Italy.  In  mounting  to 
the  Mendel  Pass,  by  carriage  or  train,  which- 
ever you  may  choose,  the  view  extends  mar- 
vellously over  the  map-like  valleys  beneath. 
The  Dolomites  rear  into  view,  the  Rosen- 
garten  beckons,  the  Latemar  frowns,  and  far 
below,  the  fertile  Ueberetsch  lies  dreaming  at 
our  feet.  Though  the  Mendel  Pass  is  not  high 
(4,470  feet),  the  outlook  is  unique.  There  is 
not  only  snow  in  the  background,  but  also 
tropical  vegetation  in  the  forefront,  bleak 

174 


CASTLE   KARNE1D 


The  Rosengarten 

masses  of  rock  cut  the  sky-line,  rich  villages 
cluster  in  the  plains,  and  jutting  castles  dot 
the  mountainsides.  There  are  arid  stretches 
and  streams  that  glint  and  glimmer  under  the 
sun.  Then,  on  the  other  side  of  the  pass,  the 
glittering  Adamello  and  Presanella  groups 
of  snow  mountains  lie  toward  the  south.  One 
step  farther  and  the  language  changes.  A 
little  walk  along  the  road,  and  you  hear  men 
speaking  Italian.  Such  are  some  of  the  de- 
lights and  contrasts  of  this  charming  border- 
land. 

Under  the  Trellises 

The  people  of  Bozen  and  Meran  are  not  so 
Teutonic  but  what  they  can  train  their  vines 
in  arboured  trellises,  like  their  Romance 
neighbours. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  almost  the  entire 
local  vocabulary  of  the  grape  is  of  Latin 
origin.  The  trellises  themselves,  for  instance, 
are  called  pergeln  from  the  Italian  pergola. 
One  may  question,  perhaps,  whether  the  trellis 
is  as  economical  as  the  upright  stick,  which 
is  used  in  northern  Europe,  but  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  trellis  is  the  more  beautiful  of 
the  two.  Then  vegetables  can  be  grown  in  the 
half-shade  of  the  arbour,  protected  from  the 

175 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

fierce  southern  sun,  so  that  no  part  of  the  soil 
need  be  wasted. 

In  the  spring  there  is  much  animation  under 
the  bare  arbours,  much  mending  of  the 
wooden  slats,  and  hoeing  of  the  ground,  but  in 
midsummer  the  activity  in  the  vineyards  is  re- 
duced to  a  minimum,  for  the  grapes  are  left 
to  ripen  under  the  hot  rays.  As  you  look  up 
the  mountain  slopes,  there  may  come  a  flash 
or  two  from  a  glittering  hoe,  but  in  general  the 
vine-dressers  wait  patiently  for  the  vintage, 
and  the  coopers  prepare  the  vats  and  barrels. 

The  vintage  begins  in  the  middle  of  Sep- 
tember, and  lasts  until  well  into  October.  The 
vintagers  move  under  the  arbours,  cutting  the 
hanging  bunches,  which  fall  into  wooden 
bowls.  These  bowls,  when  full,  are  emptied 
into  hods,  which,  in  turn,  are  emptied  into 
big  vats.  Here  the  grapes  are  crushed  with 
wooden  implements,  and  the  resulting  mass 
allowed  to  go  through  the  first  process  of 
fermentation.  In  a  few  weeks  the  new  wine 
is  drawn  off,  and  taken  to  the  cellars,  to  com- 
plete the  process  of  fermentation.  Water  is 
poured  on  the  remaining  skins  and  stems,  and, 
when  drained  off,  becomes  a  light  house  wine 
for  home  consumption. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE  FRESCOES  OF  RUNKELSTEIN 

THE  imperial  castle  of  Runkelstein  rises 
at  the  mouth  of  the  ravine-like  Sarnthal,  only 
a  short  walk  from  Bozen.  It  is  a  solemn  com- 
plex of  stone  and  mortar,  topped  by  roofs  of 
dull  red  tiles,  the  whole  seated  on  a  pedestal 
of  porphyry,  sheer  and  brown.  From  the  west 
the  castle  looks  like  a  giant  crystal,  weather- 
stained,  springing  from  the  living  rock. 
Around  its  base  the  Talfer  curls  noisily, 
while  the  mountains  start  up  sharply  to  right 
and  left,  sparsely  covered  with  soft  brush.  At 
the  gate  a  cypress  points  a  black  finger  over 
the  battlements,  to  show  the  nearness  of  Italy. 

You  mount  to  the  castle  by  a  steep  little 
path,  cross  a  bridge  that  was  once  a  draw, 
enter  a  gate  surmounted  by  a  half-efTaced 
coat  of  arms,  and  stand  within  the  castle 
court,  that  distils  feudal  flavour  on  every 
hand.  Just  in  front  is  the  wing  known  as  the 

177 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Summer-house,  where  some  ancient  frescoes 
are  preserved. 

The  outside  walls  are  decorated  with 
figures  in  groups,  and  within  the  Summer- 
house  is  a  series  of  frescoes  telling  the  story 
of  Tristan  and  Isolde.  They  cover  the  walls 
of  one  of  the  two  rooms  into  which  the  house 
is  divided.  The  outlines  of  the  figures  are 
painted  in  black  on  a  greenish  ground.  Judg- 
ing by  the  drawing  and  the  fashions  of  the 
clothes,  as  well  as  by  the  history  of  the  castle 
itself,  we  may  say  that  the  frescoes  were  done 
soon  after  1385,  an  age  wrhen  painting,  even 
in  next-door  Italy,  was  still  in  its  infancy,  and 
was  marked  by  stiffness  of  drawing  and  the 
most  helpless  perspective.  The  name  of  the 
painter  is  unknown. 

Here  the  story  of  Tristan  and  Isolde  is 
depicted  according  to  the  fragmentary  ver- 
sion of  Gottfried  of  Strassburg,  which  varies 
not  a  little  from  the  more  familiar  one  con- 
tained in  Sir  Thomas  Malory's  Le  Morte 
Darthur. 

The  second  room  in  the  Summer-house 
contains  nothing  less  than  the  complete  legend 
of  Garel  of  the  Blooming  Valley,  according 
to  the  version  of  a  certain  Pleier,  a  poet  from 
Styria  or  Salzburg,  who  wrote  about  the 

178 


The  Frescoes  of  Runkelstein 

middle  of  the  thirteenth  century,  and  whose 
manuscript  is  said  to  be  preserved  at  Linz, 
in  Austria. 

Garel  is  probably  the  Gareth  of  Le  Morte 
Darthur,  there  surnamed  Beaumayns,  or  Fair 
Hands. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  series,  in  a  fresco  of 
surpassing  interest,  we  see  the  victorious 
knights  of  the  Round  Table  sitting  at  meat, 
-  King  Arthur,  Queen  Guinevere,  Sir  Laun- 
celot,  and  many  another  of  the  far-famed 
company. 

In  truth,  Runkelstein  is  like  an  illustrated 
text-book  of  Le  Morte  Darthur.  Here 
themes  from  a  dim  Celtic  mythology,  filtered 
through  French  and  English  sources,  have 
found  a  German  abiding-place. 

On  the  outside  walls  of  the  Summer-house 
Tristan  and  Isolde  are  to  be  seen,  and  with 
them  other  figures  of  great  value.  These  are 
arranged  in  groups  of  three,  forming  triads, 
which  were  a  favourite  subject  for  artists  of 
the  time. 

First,  the  three  greatest  pagan  heroes: 
Hector,  Alexander  the  Great,  and  Julius 
Caesar,  clad  in  mediaeval  accoutrements. 
Then  the  three  greatest  heroes  of  Jewish 
history:  Joshua,  David,  and  Judas  Macca- 

179 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

baeus;  the  best  Christian  kings:  Arthur  of 
England,  Charlemagne,  and  Godfrey  of 
Bouillon. 

Curiously  enough,  William  Caxton,  in  the 
introduction  of  his  first  edition  of  Malory's 
Le  Morte  Darthur,  enumerates  these  same 
groups  of  heroes  as  worthy  of  a  writer's  pen. 

After  this,  the  best  knights  of  the  Round 
Table:  Parcival,  bearing  a  shield  with  white 
anchor  on  red  ground,  Gawein,  and  Iwein 
(Percyual,  Gawayn?  and  Ewayne).  The 
three  noblest  pairs  of  lovers  are  represented  by 
Duke  William  of  Austria  and  his  Aglei, 
Tristan  and  Isolde,  and  William  of  Orleans 
and  Amelie. 

To  the  right  of  the  portal  follow  the  three 
best  swordsmen  and  their  swords.  The  in- 
scriptions read :  Ditterich  vo  Pern  treit 
sachs  (Theodoric  of  Verona,  surnamed  the 
Great,  bears  Sachs,  his  favourite  weapon). 
Sivreit  treit  er  palmung  (Siegfried  bears  the 
Balmung).  Dietleib  von  Steyer  treit  belsung 
(Dietlieb  of  Steier,  a  knight  connected  with 
the  Rosengarten  legend,  bears  Belsung  or 
Welsung) . 

The  triads  are  closed  by  three  groups  of  the 
strongest  giants,  the  most  terrible  giantesses, 
and  the  best  dwarfs,  whose  names  were  doubt- 

180 


The  Frescoes  of  Runkelstein 

less  familiar  enough  to  the  little  boys  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  but  need  hardly  be  in- 
flicted on  the  modern  reader. 

The  main  body  of  the  castle,  the  part  once 
inhabited  by  the  family,  called  the  Pallas, 
can  boast  of  five  further  rooms  with  frescoed 
walls;  and  the  question  naturally  arises,  how 
came  this  extraordinary,  and  possibly  unique, 
collection  of  frescoes  to  be  painted  at  all,  in 
a  region  now  so  remote  from  the  great  centres 
of  the  art  world? 

The  history  of  Runkelstein  can  be  told  in  a 
few  words.  In  a  document,  dated  February 
10,  1237,  Ulrich,  Bishop  of  Trent,  granted 
permission  to  a  certain  Tyrolese  family,  the 
lords  of  Wanga,  to  build  a  castle  upon  the  site 
of  a  former  rude  keep.  After  the  extinction 
of  the  house  of  Wanga,  the  castle  passed 
through  the  hands  of  many  families  of  the 
local  nobility,  until,  in  1385,  it  was  bought  by 
two  merchants  of  Bozen,  Nicholas  and  Franz 
Vintler. 

It  was  Nicholas  by  whose  orders  the  fres- 
coes were  painted  and  the  castle  enlarged. 
His  rule  marks  the  golden  age  of  Runkelstein. 
His  coat  of  arms,  white  bears'  paws,  appears 
most  frequently  over  the  doorways.  He 
gathered  about  himself  a  group  of  artists, 

181 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

poets,  and  singers.  A  cousin  of  his,  Hans 
Vintler,  here  laboriously  turned  into  rhyme 
a  work  of  the  Italian  Tommaso  Leone,  which, 
10,172  verses  strong,  was  printed  in  1486, 
under  the  title  of  "  Pluemen  der  Tugent " 
(Flowers  of  Virtue).  Here  Heinz  Sentlinger, 
the  chaplain  of  Nicholas,  wrote  a  marvellous 
chronicle,  now  much  prized  by  antiquarians. 
Many  valiant  knights  held  their  jousts  in  the 
castle  court,  and  not  a  few  Minnesingers  sang 
their  couplets  from  the  battlements. 

Nicholas  Vintler  himself  was  a  sufficiently 
curious  character  among  the  men  of  his  day 
to  deserve  a  few  lines  in  the  history  of  his 
castle. 

As  early  as  1000  the  family  of  Vintler  made 
its  appearance  in  Bozen,  at  that  time  an  im- 
portant trade  station  for  the  traffic  passing 
between  Verona  and  Innsbruck,  over  the 
Brenner  Pass.  The  Vintlers  of  Bozen  rose 
to  be  merchant  princes,  like  others  in  Augs- 
burg and  Nuremberg. 

Acting  always  according  to  proved  business 
methods,  Nicholas,  master  of  Runkelstein, 
became  financial  adviser  to  the  Austrian  arch- 
duke of  his  day,  court  banker,  general  farmer 
of  taxes,  and  holder  of  mortgages  on  many 
castles  and  estates.  In  fact,  he  grew  to  be  the 

182 


The  Frescoes  of  Runkelstein 

money-bags  of  the  Tyrol.  Especially  did  he 
hold  the  purse-strings  of  that  spendthrift 
Frederick  of  Austria,  Friedl  "  with  the 
Empty  Pockets." 

The  rooms  in  the  main  body  of  the  castle 
are  now  dismantled  as  far  as  furniture  is  con- 
cerned, but  their  decorations  are  so  remark- 
able that  the  Vintler  period  looms  up  as  one 
of  lavish  luxury  and  astonishing  magnificence. 

On  the  first  floor  is  an  apartment  with  the 
original  wainscoting  still  preserved.  On  the 
second  floor  is  situated  a  richly  painted  bath- 
ing-room. Figures  of  men  and  women,  in 
alcoves,  lean  over  a  balustrade  hung  with 
draperies.  Above  them  a  row  of  smaller 
figures  makes  the  round  of  the  room.  In  the 
embrasure  of  a  window  a  young  woman  and 
a  youth  with  a  falcon  on  his  wrist  face  each 
other,  —  the  latter  a  work  of  singular  beauty. 

The  pictures  on  the  third  floor  are  perhaps 
the  most  valuable  of  all  in  Runkelstein,  at 
least  to  students  of  the  fashions  and  social 
customs  of  Vintler's  period. 

Upon  entering  the  antechamber  a  large 
fresco  is  observed  on  the  left  hand,  showing 
a  court  dance. 

The  knights  and  ladies  move  hand  in  hand, 
a  crowned  princess  in  front  and  at  the  rear 

183 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

two  musicians,  one  playing  the  mandolin  and 
the  other  a  violin.  The  step  appears  stately 
and  gliding. 

To  the  right  of  the  chamber  door  a  game 
of  ball  is  being  played,  apparently  with  apples 
for  missiles.  The  lady  who  is  about  to  throw 
the  apple  is  said  to  be  Margaretha  Maultasch, 
while  the  man  standing  in  front  of  her  is 
Henry  of  Bohemia,  her  first  husband.  Other 
frescoes  in  this  antechamber  depict  a  tourna- 
ment wherein  Vintler  himself,  judging  by  his 
coat  of  arms,  is  breaking  a  lance;  or  hunting 
scenes,  showing  the  slaying  of  deer,  bears,  and 
wolves;  here  a  party  starts  out  from  a  castle 
of  many  towers  toward  the  mountains,  in  quest 
of  chamois;  there  ladies  and  gentlemen  are 
amusing  themselves  by  the  waterside,  fishing 
with  rod  and  net. 

The  rich  decorations  of  the  hall  of  armour 
resemble  somewhat  those  of  the  bathing-room 
below,  to  which  it  corresponds. 

As  Nicholas  Vintler  died  without  direct 
issue,  Runkelstein,  after  its  golden  age,  passed 
from  family  to  family,  until  it  came  into  the 
possession  of  the  imperial  house  of  Austria 
itself. 

Emperor  Maximilian  I.  loved  the  place 
well,  and  had  a  wing  built  for  his  private  use. 

184 


The  Frescoes  of  Runkelstein 

More  than  all,  he  commissioned  the  painter, 
Friedrich  Lebenbacher,  of  Brixen,  to  touch  up 
the  frescoes,  which  was  done  between  the  years 
1504  and  1508. 

For  the  most  part,  however,  the  castle  was 
placed  in  the  charge  of  military  caretakers, 
who  prized  it  only  for  its  strong  position. 
The  passing  centuries  left  their  mark.  In 
1520,  a  powder-magazine  exploded  in  the 
cellar,  destroying  the  whole  of  the  southeast- 
ern corner  of  the  castle.  The  frescoes  were 
also  scratched  and  scribbled  upon  by  mis- 
chievous persons.  As  recently  as  1868  the 
rock  forming  the  foundation  for  the  northern 
side  suddenly  collapsed,  and  carried  down 
with  it  two  frescoes  of  the  Tristan  and  Isolde 
legend,  as  well  as  some  of  the  Garel  series. 

It  was  not  till  1884  that  the  thorough 
restoration  of  Runkelstein  was  begun,  by 
order  of  the  present  emperor.  In  1893  he 
presented  it  in  free  gift  to  the  citizens  of 
Bozen,  to  have  and  to  hold  in  safe-keeping  for 
future  generations,  as  a  monument  of  Tyro- 
lese  art  and  history. 


185 


CHAPTER   XX 

MERAN,  THE  ANCIENT  CAPITAL  OF  TYROL 

ONE  is  tempted  to  exhaust  the  powers  of 
praise  on  Meran,  for  its  picture  seems  to  have 
no  flaw.  Its  towers  and  villas  lie  among 
southern  vineyards  and  rich  orchards,  and  yet 
mountains  rise  on  every  hand,  which  are 
tipped  with  snow  until  well  into  summer. 
The  soft  folds  of  chestnut-trees  merge  imper- 
ceptibly into  forests  of  strait-laced  pines. 

Indeed,  there  is  something  Oriental  in  the 
first  sight  of  Meran.  When  you  approach  it 
from  Bozen,  this  quality  is,  perhaps,  less 
apparent  than  from  the  Vintsgau.  From  the 
bend  in  the  Vintsgau  road,  where  Meran  first 
comes  into  sight,  the  white  houses,  walls,  and 
glistening  roofs  might  easily  be  mistaken  for 
mosques  and  minarets,  and  the  tall  trees  in  the 
gardens  for  palms. 

Inside  the  towering  gate,  Meran  is  quite 
southern  in  architecture,  but  intensely  Teu- 
tonic in  sentiment.  A  long  street  of  arcades 

1 86 


MERAN    AND    ITS    PEASANTS 


Meran 

is  called  "  Unter  den  Lauben."  Here,  too, 
is  a  house  of  special  historical  and  antiquarian 
interest,  the  old  Landesfurstliche  Burg,  once 
the  residence  of  the  Counts  of  Tyrol.  It  stands 
off  from  the  main  street,  in  a  little  court,  and 
is  in  splendid  state  of  preservation,  full  of 
genuine  old  Gothic  furniture,  household 
effects,  frescoes,  and  armorial  bearings. 

The  -Burg,  moreover,  recalls  a  line  of 
Scotch  history.  Thither  it  was  that  Sigis- 
mund,  the  son  of  Friedl  "  with  the  Empty 
Pockets,"  brought  his  bride,  Eleonora,  daugh- 
ter of  James  I.  of  Scotland. 

One  day  in  September,  1448,  three  Tyrolese 
knights  rode  up  to  Dunbar  Castle,  in  Scot- 
land. They  were  Parcival  of  Annenberg, 
Leonhard  of  Velseck,  and  Ludwig  of  Land- 
see.  They  came  to  take  Eleonora  to  be  the 
bride  of  their  master,  the  Archduke  Sigis- 
mund  of  Habsburg  Austria. 

It  is  related  that  the  young  couple  crossed 
over  the  Brenner,  were  welcomed  in  Bozen  by 
the  nobility  of  the  district,  and  passed  in 
triumph  from  castle  to  castle  as  far  as  Meran, 
then  the  capital  of  the  Tyrol.  Here  Sigis- 
mund  had  built  a  house  for  his  bride,  and  this 
house  was  the  Landesfurstliche  Burg. 

Eleonora  was  praised  by  her  contemporaries 

• 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

as  a  keen  huntress,  but  the  intellectual  attain- 
ments of  this  daughter  of  the  house  of  Stuart 
were  especially  unusual  for  a  woman  of  her 
time.  Meister  Steinhovel,  physician  of  Ulm, 
who  translated  Boccaccio's  "  Book  of  Cele- 
brated Women  "  into  German,  dedicated  his 
work  to  her,  and  praised  her  without  measure 
in  his  introduction.  But  more  than  that,  she 
herself  translated  the  French  romance  of 
"  Pontus  and  Sidoni."  It  was  printed  in 
Augsburg.  In  the  introduction  we  read: 

"  Which  history  the  Serene  and  High-born 
Lady  Heleonora,  born  Queen  of  Scotland, 
Archduchess  of  Austria,  has  praiseworthily 
transferred  and  made  from  the  French  into 
the  German  tongue,  to  please  the  Serene 
High-born  Prince  and  Lord,  Sigmunder, 
Archduke  of  Austria,  etc.,  her  wedded 
husband." 

The  good  people  of  Meran  have  been  very 
successful  in  making  their  town  attractive  for 
a  long  stay.  There  is  a  Kurhaus  with  the 
usual  reading  and  reception-rooms;  and  there 
are  concerts,  balls,  and  festivals. 

Since  1892  a  new  series  of  attractions  have 
been  added  to  Meran  in  the  shape  of  popular 
plays,  dealing  with  Andreas  Hofer,  and  other 
heroes  of  1809.  These  plays  have  been  ar- 

188 


Meran 

ranged  by  a  well-known  connoisseur  of 
Meran  and  its  neighbourhood,  Carl  Wolf,  and 
are  supported  financially  by  the  city,  the 
administration  of  the  Kurhaus  and  the  Bozen- 
Meran  railroad.  The  performances  take 
place  in  April  and  September,  and  draw  large 
and  interested  audiences. 

When  Meran  itself  grows  hot  in  summer, 
there  are  resorts  and  refuges  on  all  the  moun- 
tains around  about,  as  at  Bozen.  But  Meran 
is  always  endurable;  the  summer  sun  may 
scorch  by  day,  but  the  nights  at  least  are  cool. 
In  winter,  the  rare  snow  in  the  valleys  falls 
smooth,  dry,  and  fluffy  over  town  and  country, 
vineyards  and  walls,  and  clothes  even  the 
ancient  castles  with  the  spotless  mantle  of 
perennial  freshness. 

Castle  Tyrol 

Castle  Tyrol  shows  brave  and  white  against 
the  dark  range  of  the  Kiichelberg. 

Trellis  on  trellis,  terrace  on  terrace,  the 
vineyards  mount  to  Castle  Tyrol,  but  beyond 
that  the  forests  take  their  turn  and  lead  up  to 
the  final  grassy  slopes  and  rocks  of  the  range 
behind.  In  the  early  spring,  when  the  sum- 
mits are  still  snow-capped,  and  the  southern 

189 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

vegetation  is  bursting  into  life  in  the  valleys, 
Castle  Tyrol  stands  midway  between  the 
arctics  and  the  tropics,  arbiter  of  the  north 
and  the  south,  symbol  and  emblem  of  a  union 
between  the  Alps  and  the  plains. 

Castle  Tyrol  has  acted  for  centuries  as  a 
hyphen  between  Teutonic  and  Romance 
Tyrol.  It  is  the  historic  heart  of  the  land,  and 
surely  the  Tyrolese  have  a  right  to  rejoice  in 
the  beauty  of  the  birthplace  of  their  name. 

The  region  around  Meran  originally 
formed  the  family  estate  of  the  Counts  of 
Tyrol,  the  Burggrafenamt,  as  it  was  called. 
The  counts  themselves  lived  up  in  the  castle, 
and  Meran  was  their  capital.  There  had 
been  a  Roman  fort  called  Terriolis  on  the 
site  of  the  castle,  hence  the  name  Tyrol.  The 
rest  of  what  is  now  the  province  of  Tyrol 
was  in  the  twelfth  century  still  vaguely  known 
as  "  The  Mountain  Land."  It  was  divided 
among  a  multitude  of  nobles,  who  held  their 
fiefs  of  the  two  prince  bishops  of  Trent  and 
Brixen,  while  the  prince  bishops,  in  their  turn, 
were  vassals  of  the  German  Empire.  The 
Counts  of  Tyrol  were  particularly  successful 
in  expanding  their  original  estate  by  pur- 
chase, marriage,  and  conquest. 

The  first  member  of  the  family  to  establish 
190 


CASTLE   TYROL   FROM    THE    SOUTHEAST    AND    WEST 


Meran 

an  estate  was  a  certain  Adelbert,  a  former 
henchman  of  the  Bishop  of  Brixen,  and  the 
line  of  the  Counts  of  Tyrol  terminated  in 
Margaretha  Maultasch,  the  Purse-mouth. 
This  lady  outlived  her  children,  and  be- 
queathed the  Tyrol  to  the  Dukes  of  Habsburg, 
who  hold  it  to  this  day  as  Emperors  of  Austria. 

The  Peasants  of  Meran 

It  is  a  rare  type,  that  of  the  men  of  Meran, 
—  a  type  sedate,  silent,  and  almost  sombre. 
A  city  square,  full  of  these  men,  gives  forth 
nothing  but  a  quiet  murmur  of  talk,  whereas, 
a  few  miles  farther  south,  two  persons  in  con- 
versation are  capable  of  raising  an  intolerable 
clamour.  Though  the  swarthy  faces  and 
luminous  black  eyes  show  traces  of  Romance, 
perhaps  even  of  Etruscan  ancestry,  yet,  for 
all  that,  the  peasants  of  Meran  are  German- 
speaking  and  German-thinking. 

They  have  preserved  their  local  costume 
more  fully  than  the  people  of  any  other  dis- 
trict in  the  Tyrol. 

The  men  wear  brown  hats,  high  in  the 
crown,  wound  with  yards  of  thin  cord,  red 
in  the  case  of  bachelors,  green  for  married 
men.  The  jacket  is  brown  with  red  facings, 

191 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

and  the  suspenders  are  wide,  and  green  or  red. 
Buckskin  breeches  are  not  often  seen  in  Meran 
now,  except  on  some  very  old  men.  While 
at  work  the  men  are  much  given  to  long,  white 
aprons.  In  fact,  the  region  around  Bozen  and 
Meran,  including  lateral  valleys,  might  be 
called  the  apron  belt,  for  nowhere  else,  either 
in  Romance  or  Teutonic  Tyrol,  do  men  so 
assiduously  wear  this  supposed  badge  of  femi- 
ninity. 

As  for  the  women,  their  dress  is  unmistak- 
ably Teutonic.  White,  puffy  sleeves  stop  just 
above  the  elbow,  where  they  are  caught  close 
to  the  arm  with  little  coloured  ribbons  or 
elastics.  No  hat  is  worn,  the  hair  is  brushed 
back  plainly,  and  fastened  in  a  knot  with  a 
long  silver  pin.  A  coloured  handkerchief, 
passed  round  the  neck,  is  folded  demurely 
across  the  bosom.  There  is  a  long,  plain  skirt, 
and  a  big  apron.  In  fact,  the  costume  is 
simple  to  the  verge  of  being  classic. 

This  whole  subject  of  peasants'  costumes 
is  a  matter  for  some  special  thought. 

In  spite  of  all  the  well-meant  efforts  which 
have  been  made,  costumes  are  bound  to  dis- 
appear. As  intercommunication  grows  more 
frequent  between  different  parts  of  the  great 
earth,  the  sense  of  the  unity  of  the  human 

192 


Meran 

race  also  leads  people  to  wear  very  much  the 
same  sort  of  clothes,  the  needs  suggested  by 
climate  and  occupation  being  taken  into  ac- 
count. The  peasants  of  the  Tyrol,  and  else- 
where, as  they  come  into  contact  with  the 
great  world  outside,  begin  to  feel  the  very 
natural  desire  to  be  like  other  people,  and  this 
desire  leads  them  by  degrees  to  discard  their 
costumes  for  a  style  of  clothes  more  commonly 
worn.  The  process  is  everywhere  about  the 
same.  First  the  costumes  are  put  off  from 
work  days  to  Sundays,  then  from  Sundays  to 
special  festivals,  and  finally  their  use  drops 
off  altogether.  From  being  the  ordinary 
thing,  they  become  the  rare,  and  at  last,  the 
conspicuous  thing.  The  young  begin  the 
change,  the  middle-aged  continue  it,  and, 
when  the  old  have  rejected  the  costumes,  then 
the  metamorphosis  may  be  considered  to  be 
complete. 

Those  visitors  who  bewail  the  change  of 
dress  may  console  themselves  with  the  re- 
flection that  as  a  rule  the  peasant  costumes 
of  to-day  are  not  of  peasant  origin  at  all,  for 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  they  generally  represent 
obsolete  and  discarded  fashions  of  the  town. 

The  process  by  which  the  peasants  learned 
to  adopt  some  special  town  fashion  for  their 

193 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

own  has  been  described  by  Doctor  Steub 
somewhat  as  follows : 

At  long  intervals,  some  period  of  special 
well-being,  or  some  sudden  stir  among  the 
peasants,  would  induce  them  to  spend  an 
unusual  amount  of  money  on  themselves. 
They  naturally  desired  to  have  new  clothes 
also.  They  bought  largely  of  the  prevailing 
fashion  of  the  day,  and  withdrew  into  their 
mountain  valleys,  to  perpetuate  that  fashion 
from  father  to  son,  and  mother  to  daughter. 
The  fashions  in  the  town  might  change,  but 
the  peasants  kept  on  with  the  old  for  genera- 
tions, until  a  new  era  of  prosperity  induced 
them  to  invest  once  more  in  a  different  style 
of  clothes. 

It  is  doubtful,  however,  whether  such  a 
process  could  be  carried  on  in  our  day  when 
almost  every  nook  and  cranny  of  the  Alps 
has  been  placed  in  communication  with  the 
wide,  wide  world  of  fashion. 

The  difference  between  the  peasant  cos- 
tumes of  various  valleys,  of  course,  is  due  to 
the  fact  that  such  costumes  have  been  adopted 
at  different  times  and  represent  different 
fashions. 

The  jacket  of  the  men  of  Meran,  for  ex- 
ample, has  been  derived  from  the  time  of 

194 


Meran 

the  Thirty  Years'  War.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  last  century  a  still  more  ancient  costume 
could  be  seen  at  Kastelruth.  It  consisted  of 
a  gray,  pointed  cap,  a  large  ruffle,  short,  red 
jacket,  yellow  breeches,  and  white  stockings. 
This  is  about  the  costume  of  the  modern 
German  Hanswurst,  or  clown,  and  was  a 
regular  soldier's  uniform,  as  seen  in  pictures, 
dating  from  the  second  half  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  So,  too,  until  quite  recently,  the 
women  of  the  Lower  Inn  valley  wore  high 
hats  exactly  like  the  silk  hats  of  civilized  man. 
Defregger  has  painted  this  head-gear  many 
times  in  his  pictures.  The  high  hat  among 
the  peasant  women  was  merely  a  belated 
fashion,  taken  from  the  townswomen  of  an 
earlier  date. 

The  culmination  of  costume  in  Meran  was 
reached  by  the  Saltner,  the  watchman  of  the 
vineyards,  who  was  still  to  be  seen  some  years 
ago  in  all  his  glory.  His  name  was  Teuton- 
ized  from  the  Latin  saltuarius,  literally  a 
forester,  but  by  implication,  also,  guardian  of 
any  kind  of  field,  pasture,  or  vineyard.  He 
was  made  to  look  like  a  bandit,  and  to  act 
as  a  scarecrow  for  birds,  and  especially  for 
boys.  He  was,  unfortunately,  also  used  by 
mothers  and  nurses,,  to  frighten  their  charges 

195 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

into  obedience.  He  wore  a  leather  jacket  and 
leather  breeches,  a  three-cornered  hat,  deco- 
rated with  cocks'  feathers,  some  squirrels'  tails, 
fox  tails,  and  Gamsbarten.  In  his  hand  he 
carried  a  rusty  halberd. 

Some  of  the  farmhouses  near  Meran  lack 
the  spick  and  span  neatness  of  homes  farther 
north,  and  show  some  of  the  picturesque  slap- 
dash of  those  farther  south.  But  it  is  to  be 
remembered  that  many  farmhouses  in  this  dis- 
trict are  actually  the  remnants  of  tumble- 
down castles,  or  the  homes  of  former  nobility, 
and  such  houses  were  not  built  originally  to 
suit  modern  needs. 

The  peasants  of  Meran  are  reported  to  eat 
five  times  a  day,  like  the  peasants  in  Switzer- 
land. Before  work  in  the  early  morning,  they 
take  a  Fruhmuss,  at  nine  o'clock  a  Halbmit- 
tag,  at  eleven  a  regular  Mittag,  at  three  their 
Marende,  and  in  the  evening,  before  going  to 
bed,  a  final  supper.  They  eat  a  good  deal  of 
what  they  call  Plenten  (from  the  Italian 
polenta),  either  Weiss  Plenten,  corn  meal,  or 
Schwarz  Plenten,  buckwheat. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

ANDREAS    HOFER     (  1 767  -  1 809  ) 

A  PLAY  is  acted  annually  at  Meran  entitled 
"  Tyrol  in  the  Year  1809."  The  performance 
is  in  the  open  air.  The  scene  setting  repre- 
sents a  Tyrolese  mountain  village,  and  the 
stage  accommodates  about  four  hundred  per- 
formers, all  chosen  from  Meran  or  the  imme- 
diate neighbourhood,  some  of  these  people, 
indeed,  being  descendants  of  the  men  who 
fought  in  the  national  uprising  of  that  year, 
1809.  The  scenes  are  portrayed  much  as 
Defregger  has  portrayed  them  on  his  masterly 
canvases.  In  the  last  act  the  village  school- 
master, surrounded  by  young  and  old,  tells 
the  story  of  Andreas  Hofer's  leadership  and 
martyrdom. 

It  is  well  that  the  struggle  of  this  simple 
peasant  should  be  retold  every  year,  lest  at 
any  time  his  countrymen  should  forget  the 
rarest  and  most  heroic  figure  in  their  history. 
Ah,  that  year  1809!  Napoleon  had  by  that 

197 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

time  fastened  himself  upon  Europe;  he 
Europe.  When  the  Archdukes  Charles  and 
John  of  Austria,  brothers  of  the  Austrian 
emperor,  in  a  moment  of  genuine  courage, 
summoned  the  great  German  race  to  take  up 
arms  against  the  Napoleonic  supremacy,  there 
was  no  response  from  the  Danube  to  the 
Rhine,  save  in  the  mountains  of  the  Tyrol. 
Of  all  the  various  branches  of  the  German 
race,  the  Tyrolese  alone  heeded  the  summons. 
It  was  nobly  pathetic.  The  nations  of  the 
plains,  grown  impotent  with  ceaseless  war, 
looked  on  amazed,  while  Wordsworth  sang 
encouragement  to  the  mountaineers  in  his 
"  Sonnets  Dedicated  to  Liberty." 

The  call  to  arms  of  the  Archdukes  Charles 
and  John  was  read  at  all  the  inns  and  shoot- 
ing-stands of  the  country.  Knots  of  grim 
sharpshooters  gathered  in  the  mountain  forges 
to  discuss  ways  and  means,  and  to  repair  their 
weapons.  Emissaries  travelled  through  the 
valleys,  recruiting  men  or  collecting  pro- 
visions and  ammunition.  Many  devoted 
patriots  threw  themselves  unreservedly  into 
the  struggle.  There  was  that  Capuchin 
monk,  Joachim  Haspinger,  and  there  was 
Joseph  Speckbacher,  the  chamois  hunter. 

But  the  foremost  leader  of  all  was  Andreas 
198 


Andreas  Hofer 

Hofer,  innkeeper  in  the  Passeier  valley.  His 
appearance  is  easy  to  reconstruct  from  the 
few  portraits  which  have  come  down  to  us 
and  from  descriptions  by  fellow  patriots. 
He  was  a  man  of  large  build,  a  trifle  above 
middle  height,  with  broad  shoulders  that  were 
bent  forward  a  little  from  carrying  heavy 
loads.  His  face  was  wholesome  and  ruddy, 
his  voice  gentle.  But  his  most  striking  pe- 
culiarity was  his  long,  black  beard,  which 
often  grew  down  to  his  belt.  The  Italian 
soldiers  in  French  service  nicknamed  him 
General  Barbone  on  account  of  it.  His  cos- 
tume was  that  of  the  Passeier  valley,  slightly 
changed  to  suit  his  personal  taste.  There 
was  a  jacket  of  green  cloth,  a  red  vest  with 
wide  green  suspenders,  black  buckskin 
breeches,  a  wide  leather  belt  bearing  his 
initials,  blue  woollen  stockings,  and  a  wide- 
brimmed,  black  felt  hat.  To  sum  up,  Andreas 
Hofer  was  a  real  peasant,  and  never  hoped 
to  be  anything  else,  even  when  he  became 
commander  of  the  army  and  regent  of  the 
Tyrol.  But  he  was  by  no  means  illiterate. 
He  knew  how  to  read  and  write  —  not  so 
common  an  accomplishment  a  century  ago 
among  mountaineers.  He  could  also  speak 
Italian,  besides  his  native  German  dialect 

199 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

The  Passeier  valley  opens  northward  from 
Meran ;  and  when  you  have  passed  beyond 
the  village  of  St.  Martin  with  its  frescoed 
houses,  you  reach  a  tract  which  the  torrent  of 
the  Passer  has  more  than  once  laid  waste. 
Here  Hofers  inn  stands  by  the  roadside, 
opposite  a  big  tree.  The  name  is  the  Wirth 
am  Sand,  or  the  "  Inn  by  the  Gravel."  Hofer 
was,  therefore,  commonly  known  as  the  Sand- 
nvirth,  or  the  "  Gravel  Innkeeper,"  by  a  form 
of  contraction  which  sounds  very  comical  to 
us,  but  is  customary  in  the  Tyrol. 

Andreas  Hofer  was  born  at  the  inn  in  1767. 
His  parents  died  when  he  was  twenty-two, 
leaving  him  to  carry  on  the  business.  As 
time  passed,  Hofer  added  to  his  regular  occu- 
pation a  commerce  in  grain,  cattle,  horses, 
wine,  and  brandy;  he  transported  freight 
over  the  Jaufen  Pass  at  the  head  of  the  valley, 
keeping  as  many  as  sixteen  horses  for  the 
purpose.  In  this  manner  he  became  known 
all  over  the  Tyrol;  his  honesty,  good  nature, 
and  homely  wit  made  him  a  universal  favour- 
ite; so  that  when  the  revolt  took  place,  he 
was  one  of  the  men  to  whom  the  peasants 
naturally  looked  as  a  leader. 

At  the  first  sound  of  war,  on  the  eleventh 
of  April,   1809,  Andreas  Hofer  crossed  the 

200 


IN    THE    PASSEIER   VALLEY 


Andreas  Hofer 

Jaufen  Pass  with  his  brave  comrades  of  the 
Passeier  valley,  and  fell  upon  the  town  of 
Sterzing,  forcing  the  garrison  to  flee.  The 
French  had  not  entered  the  field  yet,  and  the 
place  was  held  by  Bavarian  troops.  Sterzing 
was  extremely  valuable  to  the  Tyrolese,  but 
was  by  no  means  easy  to  maintain.  Bavarian 
reinforcements  came  up,  and  a  struggle  took 
place  out  on  the  plain  of  the  Sterzingermoos, 
as  it  is  called.  At  first  the  Tyrolese  could 
make  no  headway  against  the  Bavarian  artil- 
lery. It  was  absolutely  necessary  to  dislodge 
their  cannon.  Hofer,  therefore,  had  three 
loaded  hay-wagons  driven  forward,  behind 
which  his  best  sharpshooters  could  hide  and 
pick  off  the  Bavarian  artillerymen.  It  is  said 
that  two  fearless  girls  actually  drove  up  the 
first  two  wagons.  When  a  nation  fights  like 
that,  it  becomes  irresistible! 

United  with  the  Austrian  troops  which 
had  entered  the  country  in  the  meantime,  the 
Tyrolese  marched  upon  Innsbruck,  driving 
the  enemy  before  them,  taking  prisoners,  and 
collecting  booty  of  war.  A  triumphal  entry 
into  Innsbruck  followed,  to  the  indescribable 
joy  of  the  whole  population  of  the  Tyrol.  In 
a  few  days  the  peasants  had  captured  two 
generals,  130  officers,  almost  six  thousand 

201 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

men,  seven  cannon,  and  eight  hundred  horses, 
—  in  truth,  a  remarkable  result  for  so  short  a 
campaign.  There  was  not  a  hostile  soldier 
to  be  found  in  the  land  nearer  than  Kufstein. 
In  that  fortress,  however,  the  enemy  still 
maintained  themselves.  And  all  this  had  been 
accomplished  by  the  peasants  alone,  practi- 
cally unaided,  —  for  the  Austrian  troops  had 
been  of  little  use,  except  to  swell  the  numbers. 
So,  when  the  bands  of  victors  marched  home 
again,  what  a  jubilation  there  was  in  their 
native  hamlets! 

But  the  fate  of  the  Tyrol  was  inevitably 
linked  to  that  of  Europe  in  general.  Napo- 
leon was  all-powerful.  A  second  time  he 
took  Vienna,  and  the  Austrians  were  obliged 
to  withdraw  their  troops  from  the  Tyrol. 
Seeing  the  country  open,  a  Bavarian  army 
under  General  Wrede,  and  a  French  one 
under  Marshal  Lefebre,  rapidly  approached, 
and  before  the  peasants  could  organize  a 
proper  defence,  were  once  more  in  possession 
of  Innsbruck. 

That  was  on  the  nineteenth  of  May,  1809. 
On  the  twenty-fifth,  Andreas  Hofer,  having 
gathered  an  army  of  6,800  men  and  six  can- 
non, took  up  a  position  on  Berg  Isel  overlook- 
ing Innsbruck.  The  first  day  of  the  battle  was 

202 


MAN    OF   KUFSTEIN 


Andreas  Hofer 

indecisive.  Both  sides  maintained  their  posi- 
tions for  several  days.  On  the  twenty-ninth 
the  battle  was  renewed  by  Hofer.  For  ten 
hours  both  sides  fought  with  alternate  gains 
and  losses  until  nightfall.  But  during  the 
night  the  enemy  wrapped  the  wheels  of  their 
cannon  and  their  horses'  hoofs  in  rags,  left 
their  camp-fires  burning,  and  stole  quietly 
away,  out  of  the  country. 

Next  morning  the  Tyrolese  held  their 
second  triumphal  entry  into  the  capital  of 
their  beloved  land.  For  the  time  being,  even 
the  news  from  the  general  European  seat  of 
war  seemed  favourable.  Archduke  Charles 
of  Austria  actually  defeated  Napoleon  in  the 
battle  of  Aspern.  But  shortly  after  came 
tidings  of  the  murderous  battle  of  Wagram, 
in  which  the  tables  were  turned  again.  A 
humiliating  truce  was  signed  by  Austria, 
which  left  the  Tyrol  exposed  as  before  to 
foreign  invasion.  Marshal  Lefebre  promptly 
reoccupied  Innsbruck.  The  country  seemed 
indeed  lost  at  last.  Napoleon  ordered  Lefe- 
bre to  disarm  everybody.  Archduke  John 
wrote  advising  the  peasants  to  submit,  saying 
that  a  definite  peace  would  soon  be  concluded 
between  Austria  and  France,  in  which  the 
interests  of  the  Tyrol  would  be  guarded  as 

203 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

carefully  as  possible.  It  seemed  a  grim  joke 
to  the  mountaineers,  to  ask  them  to  let  in  the 
invaders  without  a  struggle.  They  refused  to 
believe  that  the  Austrian  emperor  could 
counsel  such  cowardice.  Andreas  Hofer 
issued  a  proclamation  in  which  he  described 
this  news  of  a  truce  as  a  piece  of  "  devilish 
deceit."  He  called  upon  all  patriots,  old  and 
young,  to  arm  once  more  and  fight  for  home 
and  honour.  Then  the  last  band,  the  old  fel- 
lows who  had  thought  themselves  of  little  use, 
came  out  to  die  for  their  country.  They 
marched  forth  with  ancient  mediaeval  weap- 
ons on  their  shoulders,  long  disused  halberds, 
spiked  clubs,  or  antiquated  spears.  They 
took  leave  of  their  old  wives,  as  the  younger 
men  had  parted  from  their  sweethearts 
months  before.  Only  the  women  and  chil- 
dren and  the  wounded  were  left  to  look  after 
their  homes.  Hofer  called  Speckbacher,  the 
brave  leader  of  the  sharpshooters,  and  Has- 
pinger,  the  undaunted  Capuchin  monk,  to  his 
side.  The  three  giants  of  the  Tyrolese  revo- 
lution stood  side  by  side,  shoulder  to  shoulder. 
Marshal  Lefebre  advanced  from  Innsbruck 
to  overrun  the  country.  For  want  of  artillery, 
the  Tyrolese  erected  what  they  called  stone 
batteries,  that  is,  above  the  roads  they  heaped 

204 


Andreas  Hofer 

stones  upon  platforms  which  were  supported 
only  by  one  or  two  pieces  of  timber.  When 
the  right  moment  came,  they  knocked  away 
the  supports,  and  the  whole  mass  came  crash- 
ing down  upon  the  helpless  foe  below.  Lefe- 
bre,  now  known  as  the  Duke  of  Danzig,  had 
already  had  so  much  experience  with  the 
Tyrolese,  that  he  preferred  to  send  on  his 
allies  ahead,  to  reconnoitre.  In  this  way  it 
came  about  that  a  detachment  of  Saxons  were 
the  first  to  suffer  from  the  fury  of  the  peas- 
ants. Over  two  thousand  Saxons  were  caught 
in  a  defile  near  Mittewald,  and  almost  anni- 
hilated by  the  stone  batteries  and  the  re- 
nowned Tyrolese  sharpshooters.  Then 
Lefebre  came  up  and  received  his  beating. 
For  three  days  he  attempted  in  vain  to  dis- 
lodge the  defenders.  At  one  time  the  latter 
seemed  to  be  getting  the  worst  of  it;  but  they 
recovered,  and  on  the  fourth  day  the  newly 
created  Duke  of  Danzig  retired  under  a 
terrific  fire  upon  Innsbruck.  Hofer  had 
posted  detachments  of  sharpshooters  in  hiding 
all  along  the  route,  who  thinned  the  ranks  of 
the  fugitives  as  they  went.  Lefebre  himself 
would  have  been  picked  out  by  them,  had  he 
not  disguised  himself  as  a  common  soldier 


205 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

and  walked  on  foot,  sheltered  between  two 
mounted  dragoons. 

On  the  thirteenth  of  August,  1809,  Hofer 
and  his  army  stood  once  more  on  Berg  Isel 
to  attack  Innsbruck.  It  was  Sunday.  Early 
in  the  morning  Hofer  made  a  characteristic 
speech.  The  men  cheered,  and,  as  in  the 
previous  battles,  the  first  day  was  undecisive. 
The  two  sides  were  more  equally  matched 
than  usual,  the  enemy  having  only  a  slight 
preponderance  numerically,  but  being,  of 
course,  far  superior  in  artillery  and  cavalry. 
No  action  took  place  on  the  second  day,  and 
on  the  third  the  French,  as  once  before,  with- 
drew quietly  with  their  allies. 

For  the  third  time  Hofer  entered  Inns- 
bruck. He  was  the  hero  of  the  hour.  When 
delegations  of  students  came  to  greet  him  with 
music  and  banners,  the  pious  peasant  reproved 
them  in  his  rude  dialect:  "  Now  pray  don't 
shout  and  make  music;  not  I,  not  you,  He 
above  has  done  this."  An  irresistible  popular 
demand  soon  showed  itself  to  make  him  regent 
of  the  Tyrol,  since  Austria  was  unable  to 
defend  the  country.  At  last  Hofer  yielded, 
addressing  the  multitude  in  the  following 
speech :  "  Well,  I  greet  you,  my  dear  people 
of  Innsbruck.  As  you  insist  upon  my  being 

206 


Andreas  Hofer 

governor,  here  I  am.  But  there  are  many  by 
me  who  are  not  from  Innsbruck.  All  who 
want  to  be  my  brothers  in  arms  must  fight  for 
God,  emperor,  and  country,  as  brave,  good, 
and  honest  Tyrolese.  Those  who  don't  care 
to  do  that  had  better  go  home.  My  com- 
rades in  arms  won't  leave  me.  Nor  will  I 
leave  you,  as  true  as  my  name  is  Andreas 
Hofer.  Now  I've  said  it,  you've  seen  me,  and 
so  God  bless  you." 

Hofer,  with  considerable  regret,  took  up 
his  residence  in  the  Castle  of  Innsbruck  as 
regent  of  the  Tyrol.  They  told  him  it  would 
never  do  to  have  the  head  of  the  state  living 
in  an  inn.  His  sovereign,  the  Emperor  of 
Austria,  now  sent  him  the  golden  locket  and 
chain,  which  is  seen  around  his  neck  in  his 
portrait.  For  six  weeks  he  administered  the 
affairs  of  the  country  with  great  simplicity 
and  shrewdness,  spending  next  to  nothing 
upon  himself.  When  he  drove,  however,  he 
used  a  four-horse  carriage,  captured  from  a 
French  general.  Morning  and  evening  he 
went  to  church.  Priests  and  peasants  always 
had  free  approach  to  him,  but  other  persons 
had  to  be  announced.  His  greatest  difficulty 
was  in  raising  money  for  the  current  expenses 
of  the  country,  since  it  was  practically  ex- 

207 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

hausted  from  continual  war.  He  had  silver 
and  copper  currency  coined,  which  had  on 
one  side  the  Tyrolese  eagle  and  on  the  reverse 
the  Madonna.  So  little  of  this  money  was 
coined,  however,  and  of  that  little  so  much 
was  later  melted  back  into  Austrian  money, 
that  the  few  pieces  in  existence  are  excessively 
rare. 

On  the  fourteenth  of  October,  1809,  Austria 
finally  concluded  the  Peace  of  Vienna,  which 
definitely  sacrificed  the  Tyrol  to  Bavaria.  It 
was  the  culminating  humiliation  which  Na- 
poleon inflicted  upon  Austria,  forcing  her  to 
sacrifice  a  full  third  of  her  territory. 

In  those  days  news  travelled  slowly  and  un- 
certainly. Hofer  and  his  followers  refused 
to  believe  the  first  reports  of  this  abandon- 
ment, and  when  the  Bavarians  and  French 
crossed  the  frontier  to  take  possession, 
promptly  engaged  them.  It  took  an  auto- 
graph letter  from  Archduke  John  to  make 
them  pause.  The  moment  was  decisive  in 
Hofer's  career.  Should  he  obey  the  imperial 
mandate,  or  carry  out  the  task  to  which  he 
had  vowed  himself?  In  this  predicament, 
Hofer,  for  the  first  and  last  time,  lost  his  head. 
Fine  distinctions  between  duty  and  honour 
were  too  much  for  him.  The  carriage  was 

208  * 


Andreas  Hofer 

ready  which  was  to  take  him  to  surrender, 
when  Haspinger,  the  Capuchin  monk,  rushed 
up  and  told  him  that  the  news  about  the 
humiliating  Peace  of  Vienna  was  a  lie,  that 
Archduke  John  would  soon  come  to  their 
help.  To  add  to  the  impression  created  by 
these  words,  the  messenger  who  brought  the 
autograph  letter  fell  in  a  fit,  as  if  under  pun- 
ishment for  telling  a  lie.  Instead  of  surren- 
dering, Hofer  called  the  country  to  arms. 
But  a  few  days  later,  finding  that  the  news  of 
the  peace  was  correct,  he  issued  a  proclama- 
tion of  surrender.  In  this  manner  he  wavered 
several  times,  torn  hither  and  thither  by  con- 
flicting reports.  Finally  he  withdrew  into 
his  native  valley  to  fight  it  out  to  the  death. 

He  crossed  for  the  last  time  over  the  Jaufen 
Pass,  where  he  had  travelled  many  a  time  as 
boy  and  man  with  his  wares.  To  show  the 
pressure  to  fight  which  was  brought  to  bear 
upon  him,  it  should  be  related  how,  in  his 
native  valley,  a  man  came  to  him  with  loaded 
rifle,  and  said :  "  Andreas,  now  say,  will  you 
or  will  you  not?  You  began  it,  you  must  carry 
it  out.  This  rifle  is  as  good  for  you  as  for  any 
Frenchman." 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  Meran  the  Tyro- 
lese  won  their  last  stubborn  victories  over  the 

209 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

French,  displaying  a  power  of  resistance 
which  astounded  all  Europe,  crushed  as  it 
was  under  the  heel  of  Napoleon.  It  caused 
Wordsworth  to  exclaim: 

"  A  few  strong  instincts  and  a  few  plain  rules 

Among  the  herdsmen  of  the  Alps  have  wrought 
More  for  mankind  at  this  unhappy  day, 

Than  all  the  pride  of  intellect  and  thought." 

One  of  these  victories  was  won  near  Castle 
Tyrol,  as  if  by  poetic  justice,  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  country's  history,  at  the  meeting-place 
of  its  races.  The  French  were  driven  from 
the  Kiichelberg,  and  finally  surrounded.  In 
one  place  a  detachment  of  French  soldiers 
was  entrapped  between  the  peasants  and  a 
precipice.  Rather  than  face  their  infuriated 
foe,  these  prisoners  stepped  to  the  edge  of  the 
precipice,  and,  horrible  to  relate,  actually 
jumped,  one  by  one,  to  a  certain  death  below. 
In  the  end  the  surviving  French  army  was 
obliged  to  evacuate  Meran,  with  a  loss  of 
1,200  men. 

But  that  was  not  all.  Another  victory  was 
in  store  for  the  Tyrolese  before  the  end  of  the 
war.  In  the  same  night  in  which  the  French 
evacuated  Meran,  a  French  company,  know- 

210 


Andreas  Hofer 

ing  nothing  of  the  defeat  of  their  comrades, 
crossed  the  Jaufen  Pass,  and  stopped  at  the 
village  of  St.  Leonhard.  Here  they  were 
hemmed  in,  four  hundred  of  them  were  cut 
down,  and  the  rest  made  prisoners. 

With  this  the  end  of  the  war  had  come. 
From  all  sides  the  French  poured  into  the 
country  with  reinforcements.  The  Tyrolese, 
overpowered  by  superior  numbers,  withdrew 
to  the  mountains.  Every  night  their  watch- 
fires  were  seen  to  climb  higher  and  higher 
up  the  slopes,  until  they  glowed  from  the 
summits  themselves.  On  the  noble  peaks  near 
Meran  were  kindled  some  of  the  last  signals 
of  revolt;  in  the  woods  were  gathered  some 
of  the  last  knots  of  undaunted  patriots,  who 
did  not  know  what  it  was  to  surrender.  They 
preferred  to  starve  or  to  be  sought  out,  so 
that  they  could  sell  their  lives  dearly.  The 
new  French  commander,  Baron  d'Hilliers,  a 
humane  man,  who  had  conceived  a  strong 
admiration  for  Hofer,  tried  hard  to  save  the 
national  hero.  He  sent  word  to  him  that  he 
would  beg  for  his  pardon  at  headquarters,  if 
Hofer  would  only  persuade  the  people  of  his 
valley  to  surrender.  But  Hofer  paid  no  at- 
tention to  these  overtures.  His  soul  was  filled 
with  a  nameless  sadness.  On  the  second  of 

211 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

December  he  climbed  to  the  highest  pasture 
on  the  mountain  opposite  his  home,  and  hid 
there  in  a  barn  with  his  faithful  clerk  Sweth. 
Baron  d'Hilliers  issued  a  proclamation, 
saying: 

"  Men  of  the  Tyrol,  spare  me  the  sorrow  of 
punishing  you.  ...  I  ask  nothing  of  you,  but 
that  you  remain  quietly  in  your  houses.  Your 
property,  your  persons,  your  religion,  laws, 
customs,  all  your  privileges  shall  be  respected; 
but  those  who  break  their  word  to  me  shall 
be  destroyed." 

Andreas  Hofer,  however,  remained  in  hid- 
ing in  his  lofty  retreat;  and  a  price  of  1,500 
florins  was  placed  upon  his  head.  A  com- 
memoration tablet  now  marks  the  hut,  sacred 
to  all  Tyrolese  patriots,  where  the  defeated 
peasant  commander  spent  almost  two  months 
during  the  winter  of  1809-10.  Here 
his  wife  and  son  joined  him,  having  been 
obliged  to  flee  from  their  hiding-place.  Here, 
too,  at  last,  the  whole  party  was  betrayed  and 
captured.  Hofer  was  to  become  not  only 
a  patriot,  but  a  martyr.  Some  man  of  the 
Passeier  valley  was  tempted  by  the  blood- 
money  to  tell  the  French  commander  at 
Meran  of  Hofer's  hiding-place.  And  so  it 
was  that,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of 

212 


INNS   IN    THE   PASSEIER   VALLEV 


Andreas-  Hofer 

the  twenty-eighth  of  January,  1810,  six  hun- 
dred Italian  soldiers  in  the  French  service 
surrounded  this  hut  and  surprised  its  occu- 
pants. The  snow  was  deep  at  that  altitude. 
The  soldiers  dragged  forth  Hofer,  his  wife, 
his  boy,  and  the  clerk,  bound  them  and  took 
them  down  into  the  valley. 

The  brutal  soldiery  could  now  vent  their 
hatred  upon  the  defenceless  hero.  They 
pulled  out  great  handfuls  from  his  beard,  so 
that  his  face  was  bleeding  and  his  hair  frozen 
into  a  bloody  mass.  But  no  word  of  pain 
escaped  from  Hofer's  lips.  He  merely  com- 
forted his  dear  ones.  "  Be  brave  and  be  pa- 
tient," he  said  to  them;  "  in  this  way  you  can 
absolve  yourselves  from  some  of  your  sins." 
On  the  way  the  sad  party  passed  their  old 
home,  the  Gravel  Inn,  which  was  plundered. 
In  Meran  the  people  wept  loudly  as  their 
hero  passed.  He  was  given  a  hearing  before 
the  commander  Huard.  To  the  latter  he  said 
simply  that  he  was  indeed  the  author  of  the 
Tyrolese  revolt;  that  he  had  been  called  to 
do  this  by  his  Majesty,  the  Emperor  of  Aus- 
tria; that  he  would  have  surrendered  after 
the  Peace  of  Vienna  had  not  his  followers 
threatened  him  with  death  if  he  did  not  con- 
tinue the  struggle. 

213 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Next  day  the  prisoners  were  transported 
to  Bozen,  where  D'Hilliers  ordered  Hofer's 
wife  and  boy  to  be  liberated  at  once,  and  the 
prisoner  to  be  treated  with  greater  care.  On 
the  fifth  of  February,  Hofer  and  his  clerk 
arrived  at  the  fortified  city  of  Mantua  in 
Northern  Italy,  having  received  endless  tes- 
timonies of  love  and  respect  from  the  peo- 
ple on  the  way.  Bisson,  commander  of  the 
fortress,  offered  him  freedom  if  he  would 
enter  the  French  army;  but  Hofer  only  an- 
swered :  "  I  was,  I  am,  and  always  shall  be 
true  to  the  house  of  Austria  and  to  my  em- 
peror." A  few  days  later  Hofer  was  tried 
by  court  martial.  No  decisive  verdict  could 
at  first  be  obtained.  Word  was  sent  to  Napo- 
leon, at  that  time  stationed  in  Milan;  and 
immediately  there  came  from  him  the  reply: 
"  Andreas  Hofer  must  be  shot  within  twenty- 
four  hours." 

Napoleon  probably  feared  that  the  Em- 
peror Francis  might  request  clemency,  and 
it  would  have  been  embarrassing  to  refuse 
such  a  favour  from  a  brother  emperor.  Ho- 
fer received  his  death-sentence  calmly,  and 
when  the  time  came  strode  firmly  to  his  mar- 
tyrdom. His  fellow  prisoners  and  wounded 
comrades  clung  to  him  as  he  passed.  He 

214 


Andreas  Hofer 

begged  their  forgiveness  if  he  had  been  the 
cause  of  their  misery. 

At  eleven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Feb- 
ruary the  twentieth,  1810,  the  drums  beat  on 
the  bastion  of  Mantua.  Hofer  stood  in  the 
centre  of  a  square  of  soldiers.  He  prayed  a 
few  moments  with  the  attendant  priest,  then 
stood  up  and  faced  his  executioners.  They 
offered  him  a  handkerchief  to  bind  over  his 
eyes.  He  refused  it.  They  ordered  him  to 
kneel,  but  he  said :  "  I  am  going  to  give  my 
soul  to  God  standing."  He  is  said  to  have 
cried,  "  Long  live  Emperor  Francis,"  and 
then  himself  gave  the  word  of  command, 
"Fire!"  Six  bullets  entered  his  body;  but 
he  only  sank  to  his  knees,  —  they  did  not  kill 
him.  Six  more  bullets  failed  to  put  an  end 
to  his  life.  Then  a  soldier  stepped  forward 
and,  placing  the  barrel  of  his  musket  close  to 
Hofer's  head,  gave  him  a  final  thirteenth  bul- 
let. Little  further  remains  to  be  said  of  the 
hero.  Like  a  real  peasant  and  innkeeper, 
his  last  words  to  the  world  are  contained  in 
a  letter  giving  orders  for  a  memorial  service 
and  wake,  to  be  held  in  his  native  village  of 
St.  Martin  at  the  Inn  of  the  Unterwirth.  The 
letter  was  written  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing before  his  execution.  In  it  he  comforts 

215 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

his  wife,  and  begs  all  his  friends  for  their 
prayers;  then  he  specifies  that  each  mourner 
at  the  inn  shall  be  served  with  soup,  meat, 
and  a  half-measure  of  wine.  Below  are  added 
the  following  words,  which  deserve  to  be- 
come classic:  "Farewell,  base  world;  it  is 
so  easy  for  me  to  die  that  not  even  a  tear 
comes  to  my  eyes." 

The  good-natured  innkeeper  and  the  obsti- 
nate fighter  died  for  his  country  in  a  manner 
so  dramatic  that  the  world  is  destined  to  re- 
member him  only  as  a  glorified  personifica- 
tion of  patriotism,  as  the  great  national  hero 
of  the  Tyrol. 


216 


CHAPTER   XXII 

THE  VINTSGAU 

SOME  morning  start  out  of  Meran  in  the 
early  dawn  for  the  long  journey  up  the  Vints- 
gau. 

A  turn  of  the  road  gives  us  our  last  glimpse 
of  the  exquisite  region  in  which  the  city  lies, 
surrounded  by  its  orchards,  vineyards,  and 
groves  of  great  trees.  Castle  Tyrol  disap- 
pears and  a  new  world  opens  westward,  a 
world  of  contrasts.  Dreary  wastes  alternate 
with  fertile  gardens;  swamps  with  peaks  of 
pure  white;  and  hovels  of  poverty  with  cas- 
tles of  luxury;  modern  industries  are  found 
side  by  side  with  historic  ruins ;  on  this  side 
are  rocks  scorched  bare  by  the  sun,  and  on 
that  upland  pastures,  kept  ever  green  by  the 
melting  snow,  —  such  is  the  impression  the 
Vintsgau  produces  on  the  visitor. 

The  name  of  Vintsgau  itself  is  full  of  his- 
toric meaning.  It  recalls  a  Raetian  tribe  of 
the  name  of  Venosti;  and  the  latter  part,  the 

217 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

word  "  gau,"  is  a  reminder  of  Charlemagne's 
scheme  of  imperial  organization  into  Gaue 
or  counties.  The  Vintsgau  was  a  county  of 
the  great  German  Empire.  Many  of  the 
Vintsgau's  names  of  places  show  a  Raeto- 
Roman  origin,  but  its  civilization  has  been 
Teutonic  for  many  centuries. 

The  Etsch  has  given  trouble  by  reason  of 
its  propensity  for  breaking  bounds,  for  the 
torrents  from  the  lateral  valleys  quickly  swell 
it  to  a  dangerous  stream.  But  the  houses  that 
are  swept  away  one  year  are  rebuilt  the  next, 
and  new  crops  are  grown  on  the  old  sites. 

The  village  of  Naturns  lies  near  the  en- 
trance of  the  narrow  lateral  Schnalserthal. 
High  above  Staben  the  superb  castle  of  Juval 
rears  a  defiant  front.  Then  comes  the  ruined 
chateau  of  Castelbell  on  the  level  of  the  high- 
way. Crossing  the  Etsch,  we  reach  the  vil- 
lage of  Latsch,  and  presently  the  Martellthal 
opens  on  the  south.  At  the  mouth  of  that 
valley  stand  the  castles  of  Unter-  and  Ober- 
Montan. 

It  was  at  Montan  that  Beda  Weber,  the 
Tyrolese  antiquarian,  is  reported  to  have 
found  the  so-called  Berlin  manuscript  of  the 
Nibelungenlied.  He  bought  it  for  ten 
gulden,  including  under  that  price  a  num- 

218 


The  Vintsgau 

her  of  other  early  manuscripts  and  precious 
books.  Beda  Weber  sold  his  Nibelungenlied 
to  a  book  dealer,  named  Asher,  for  about  three 
hundred  gulden.  Asher  resold  it  in  England 
for  two  thousand  thalers,  and  last  of  all  it 
was  bought  back  in  Berlin  for  a  very  large 
sum,  said  to  have  been  £2,000.  It  is  a  very 
beautiful  version  on  parchment,  dating  from 

1323- 
Schlanders    rejoices    in    opulent    chestnut 

and  walnut  trees.  It  is  the  centre  of  quite 
an  export  trade  in  fruit,  notably  in  peaches 
and  apricots.  The  pointed  church  steeple 
rises  far  above  the  low  roofs  of  the  cottages; 
sheaves  of  wheat  stand  in  the  fields  by  the 
roadside ;  the  farther  mountains  beckon ;  and 
a  touch  of  their  exhilaration  reaches  us  even 
in  the  sun-baked  Vintsgau. 

Near  Laas  are  extensive  marble  quarries. 
They  appear  on  the  side  of  the  Laaserthal. 
The  highway  for  many  miles  toward  Meran 
is  white  with  dust,  like  powdered  sugar, 
which  comes  from  the  droppings  of  this 
Laaser  marble  as  it  is  carted  over  the  road. 
As  building  material  it  is  gaining  constantly 
in  favour.  It  is  being  extensively  used  in 
Munich  and  Vienna.  It  has  given  statues  to 
Stuttgart  and  Diisseldorf,  and  has  gone  as 

219 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

far  as  London  and  the  United  States.  It  is 
beginning  to  compete  successfully  even  with 
Carrara  marble  itself,  although  the  expense 
of  transportation  is  very  great. 

As  we  journey  along  the  Vintsgau  we  find 
ourselves  constantly  passing  or  meeting  can- 
vas-covered carts,  pulled  sometimes  by  men 
and  women,  but  occasionally  by  a  donkey  or 
a  superannuated  horse. 

These  are  the  carts  of  the  Dorcher,  or  Tyro- 
lese  peddlers.  They  are  found  principally  in 
the  Upper  Inn  valley  and  the  Vintsgau.  The 
Dorcher  peddle  fruit,  hardware,  brooms,  and 
wooden  household  implements.  The  carts  are 
their  homes.  Frequently  a  man  and  wife  pull 
together  in  the  traces,  the  older  children  push 
behind,  the  babies  rock  under  the  canvas  cov- 
ers, and  the  cooking  utensils  dangle  beneath. 

At  Neu-Sponding  the  road  to  the  Stelvio 
Pass  and  the  glories  of  the  Order  branches 
off  toward  the  south.  For  the  present  our 
way  lies  northward  into  the  Upper  Vintsgau, 
a  region  which  has  a  certain  sombre  fascina- 
tion of  its  own,  with  its  great  stretches  of  pas- 
ture-land and  its  solemn  historic  recollections. 

The  village  of  Schluderns  has  the  castle  of 
Churburg  above  it,  which  has  been  in  the 
possession  of  the  Counts  Trapp  since  1440. 

220 


A    COURTYARD    IN    THE    CHURBURG 


Vintsgau 

Across  the  valley  from  Schluderns  is  seen  the 
great  castle  ruin  of  Lichtenberg,  which  con- 
tains frescoes  of  the  fourteenth  century. 

Off  there  in  the  plain  gleams  little  Glurns, 
fit  for  a  mediaeval  medallion.  Imagine,  in 
this  day  of  sprawling  villages,  a  tiny  town  of 
nine  hundred  inhabitants,  completely  enclosed 
by  wall  and  towers,  a  feudal  plaything  set 
down  on  the  green,  and  three  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Inside  there  is 
little  of  interest,  except  the  construction  of 
the  town  itself.  It  was  pretty  thoroughly 
burned  out  and  plundered  in  1499  by  the  men 
of  Graubiinden,  and  in  1799  by  the  French. 

A  hill  near  Tartsch  has  yielded  a  good  har- 
vest of  bronze  objects.  A  little  church  stands 
on  the  top  now,  but  antiquarians  believe  that 
the  hill  was  once  the  site  of  a  Raeto-Roman 
fortified  camp,  and  perhaps  of  a  temple  as 
well.  In  our  day  the  largest  horse  and  cattle 
market  of  the  Vintsgau  is  held  there  annually, 
on  the  i  ^th  of  June. 

Mais  is  a  sort  of  a  wonder  village  with 
towers.  Beyond  it  stretches  the  great  upland, 
called  the  Malserheide,  with  its  three  lakes, 
which  together  form  the  source  of  the  Etsch. 

After  St.  Valentine  auf  der  Heide,  the  road 
reaches  its  culmination  at  Reschen  Scheideck, 

221 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

the  watershed  between  the  Black  Sea  and  the 
Adriatic,  or  more  immediately  between  the 
valleys  of  the  Inn  and  the  Etsch  (Italian 
Adige). 

On  the  other  side  of  the  watershed,  Nau- 
ders  is  the  point  where  the  much-travelled 
road  to  the  Engadine,  via  Martinsbriick, 
branches  off. 

A  few  more  miles,  and  we  find  ourselves 
engrossed  iri  the  attractions  of  the  Finster- 
miinz  Pass,  to  which  allusion  has  already  been 
made. 


222 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

ABOVE  THE  SNOW  LINE 

THE  extraordinary  amount  of  touring  and 
climbing  which  the  German-Austrian  Alpine 
Club,  the  all-pervading  D.  O.  A.  V.,  has  made 
possible  has  resulted  in  dividing  the  tourists 
into  classes  and  sub-classes,  with  a  nomencla- 
ture to  fit  the  case. 

There  are  the  mere  Sommerfrischler,  the 
summer  boarders,  who  merely  take  walks. 
Then  come  the  class  of  Passebummler,  pass 
loafers,  sometimes  also  called  Jochfinken, 
saddle-birds,  who  travel  over  the  passes.  The 
next  class  are  the  Hochtouristen,  the  high 
tourists,  who  travel  over  the  peaks,  and  are 
also  called  Bergkraxler,  or  mountain-scram- 
blers. 

The  German-Austrian  Alpine  Club  has 
marked  the  principal  paths  in  the  Tyrol,  so 
that  the  novice  may  find  the  way  by  follow- 
ing the  signs  of  paint  on  the  trees  and  rocks. 

Imagine  the  usefulness  of  a  club  which  is 
223 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

continually  opening  up  new  paths,  setting  up 
numerous  directions  and  finger-posts,  secur- 
ing reduced  railroad  rates  for  its  members, 
holding  examinations  for  guides,  helping  to 
support  them  if  they  become  invalided,  and 
pensioning  their  widows  if  they  die,  spend- 
ing large  sums  in  glacial,  geological,  and 
meteorological  observations,  encouraging  re- 
searches into  local  dialects  and  into  the  names 
of  places,  establishing  gardens  of  Alpine 
plants,  erecting  towers,  issuing  superior  maps, 
and  publishing  annually  a  literature  of  its 
own. 

The  club  is  really  a  vast  cooperative  asso- 
ciation. Its  aim  is  touring  made  easy. 

The  shelter-huts,  for  example,  illustrate  this 
feature.  They  are  owned  by  the  various  sec- 
tions of  the  club,  and  are  generally  named 
after  these  sections,  or  after  some  noted  Al- 
pine climber. 

Those  of  the  first  order  are  really  hotels. 
They  have  resident  attendants  who  do  the 
cooking  and  serving,  and  supply  the  guests 
with  every  reasonable  luxury.  Members  of 
the  D.  O.  A.  V.  get  reduced  rates,  while  the 
guides  do  not  pay  for  their  lodging,  and  can 
buy  provisions  at  cheap  prices. 

The  huts  of  the  second  order  have  no  resi- 
224 


A    SHELTER  -  HUT    OF    THE     GERMAN  -  AUSTRIAN   ALPINE 

CLUB 


Above  the  Snow  Line 

dent  attendants,  but  are  kept  stocked  with 
supplies.  The  prices  of  the  different  articles 
are  posted  on  the  wall.  The  tourist  makes 
out  his  own  bill,  enters  it  into  a  book,  and  puts 
the  money  into  a  special  money-box. 

There  are  huts  of  the  third  order,  which  are 
mere  shelters  without  supplies. 

In  point  of  fact,  the  enormous  influence  of 
the  German-Austrian  Alpine  Club  in  foster- 
ing the  spirit  of  brotherhood,  and  creating  a 
better  understanding  between  the  different 
branches  of  the  great  German  family,  de- 
serves to  be  carefully  noted  by  every  student 
of  modern  politics.  It  is  really  helping  to 
bind  the  Germans  of  the  two  empires  more 
closely  together,  by  giving  them  a  common 
subject  for  enthusiasm  outside  of  politics. 

Every  full-fledged  guide  carries  a  book, 
containing  a  personal  description  of  himself, 
a  set  of  rules,  and  a  list  of  tours  with  the  reg- 
ular tariff. 

The  climbing  fashion  lends  itself  easily  to 
irony.  But  even  its  most  extravagant  phases 
proceed  from  the  natural  desire  of  man  to 
conquer  and  to  overcome  obstacles.  The  Eerg- 
kraxler,  the  mountain-scrambler,  may  be  de- 
scribed as  a  man  who  is  looking  for  trouble. 
If  a  mountain  is  too  easy  as  it  stands,  it  must 

225 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

be  made  difficult.  He  avoids  the  natural  ap- 
proach. He  looks  for  an  exposed  ridge,  a 
crumbling  ice-crust,  or  a  couloir,  where  stones 
may  be  expected  to  fall.  When  he  has  dis- 
covered a  new  and  perilous  ascent,  the  next 
thing  is  to  turn  it  into  a  descent.  It  is  the 
fashion  now  to  see  how  many  peaks  can  be 
ascended  in  a  given  time.  Regular  records 
are  kept  and  entered  into  the  Alpine  journals. 
There  are  records  also  for  the  longest  stay 
above  the  snow  line,  for  the  greatest  number 
of  peaks,  passes,  and  ridges  conquered  in  one 
combination,  for  work  performed  at  night 
and  even  in  winter.  The  new  school  of  climb- 
ers expects  its  members  to  wander  about 
among  the  heights,  performing  prodigies  of 
agility  and  endurance.  Women,  too,  are  en- 
tering into  the  contest. 

The  culmination  sought  by  the  expert  rec- 
ord-maker is  to  effect  a  combination  of  every 
possible  form  of  conquest  in  one  tour.  He 
tries  to  ascend  the  greatest  number  of  the  most 
difficult  peaks  by  the  most  difficult  routes; 
and  to  string  them  together  by  the  most  dan- 
gerous ridges,  —  all  this  in  one  day,  and,  if 
possible,  without  a  guide. 


226 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

THE  ORTLER:   THE  HIGHEST  MOUNTAIN  IN 
THE  TYROL 

THE  Ortler  was  first  ascended  on  the  27th 
of  September,  1804,  by  a  chamois  hunter, 
Joseph  Pichler,  from  the  Passeierthal.  In 
1805,  1826,  and  1834  further  ascents  took 
place;  then,  after  a  long  interval,  during 
which  a  number  of  unsuccessful  attempts  were 
made,  the  English  climbers,  F.  F.  Tuckett  and 
H.  E.  Buxton,  reached  the  top  in  1864.  It  is 
pleasant  to  know  that  one  of  the  peaks  in  the 
Ortler  group  is  called  the  Tuckettspitze.  In 
1865  Edmund  von  Mojsisovics  made  the  as- 
cent, and  later  in  the  same  year  Julius  von 
Payer,  an  Austrian  officer  of  engineers,  who 
was  better  known  later  as  an  Arctic  explorer. 
Finally,  in  1867,  the  ascent  was  made  by  an 
Englishwoman,  a  Miss  Hitt.  Since  then  the 
number  of  climbers  has  increased  year  by 
year.  At  least  ten  routes  to  the  top  are  now 
known,  and  all  the  other  peaks  of  the  group 

227 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

have  been  ascended,  chief  among  them  being 
the  Konigspitze  and  the  Zebru.  There  are 
said  to  be  six  routes  up  the  Konigspitze  alone. 
The  Ortler,  the  Konigspitze,  and  the  Zebru 
have  been  traversed  in  one  day  by  a  party 
without  guides.  Another  party  has  done  thir- 
teen peaks  of  the  first  class  in  this  group  in 
one  day,  also  without  guides.  New  records 
are  being  constantly  established. 

The  Ortler  group  owes  its  present  popular- 
ity to  the  three  pioneer  climbers  already  men- 
tioned, to  Payer,  Tuckett,  and  the  geologist, 
Edmund  von  Mojsisovics.  Their  maps  and 
published  accounts  spread  the  fame  of  the 
Ortler  to  the  eager  members  of  the  climbing 
fraternity. 

The  usual  route  up  the  Ortler,  which  is 
reckoned  as  "  easy  "  by  the  high  tourists,  is 
from  Trafoi  to  the  Payerhutte,  which  is 
perched  on  the  edge  of  the  snow  and  ice. 
Thence  to  the  top  and  back  to  the  hut,  and 
down  on  the  other  side  to  Sulden,  by  way  of 
the  Tabarettawande.  Of  course  this  route  is 
as  often  also  taken  in  the  reverse  direction, 
from  Sulden  to  Trafoi. 

In  driving  from  Prad  in  the  Vintsgau  by 
Gomagoi  to  Trafoi,  it  is  interesting  to  notice 
in  passing  that  the  origin  of  these  names  is 

228 


THE  KONIGSPITZE  AND 
THE  PAYERItUTTE 

The  valleys  were  disappearing  in  a 
tender  blue  dusk,  and  the  snow 
above  was  glowing  with  the  setting 


sun:'' 


The  Ortler 

Latin.  Prad  is  short  for  pradum,  a  field  or 
plain.  Gomagoi  is  from  gemincK  aqua,  the 
twin  waters,  since  the  torrents  from  Sulden 
and  Trafoi  unite  there.  Trafoi  itself  is  an 
evident  contraction  for  tres  f antes,  three  foun- 
tains. 

The  three  fountains  of  Trafoi  lie  less  than 
an  hour's  walk  from  the  village,  where  a  little 
chapel  was  built  in  1643. 

My  guide  and  I  entered  the  Payerhiitte  in 
the  evening,  just  as  the  valleys  were  disap- 
pearing in  a  tender  blue  dusk,  and  the  snow 
above  was  glowing  with  the  setting  sun..  The 
Payerhiitte  is  a  characteristic  German  and 
Austrian  Alpine  Club  hut  of  the  first  class. 
It  was  built  by  the  Section  Prague  in  1875, 
and  named  in  honour  of  Julius  von  Payer. 
So  great  is  its  popularity  that  it  has  been  re- 
peatedly enlarged  to  accommodate  the  grow- 
ing number  of  enthusiastic  visitors  who  seek 
its  welcome  shelter  during  the  climbing  sea- 
son. 

Outside  the  air  was  keen  and  Alpine,  but 
inside  a  warm  and  comfortable  atmosphere 
made  us  quickly  feel  at  home. 

In  the  early  dawn  we  crept  out  upon  the 
path  that  leads  to  the  ice  and  snow  of  the 
summit. 

229 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

The  weather  had  been  unusually  dry,  so 
that  there  was  actually  a  drought  in  the  val- 
leys below.  No  rain  had  fallen  in  them  for 
many  weeks,  and  no  snow  upon  the  peaks. 
The  slopes  of  everlasting  snow,  by  daily  thaw- 
ing and  nightly  freezing,  had  turned  icy,  and 
we  found  it  necessary  to  put  on  cramp-irons, 
or  spikes,  to  keep  from  slipping. 

The  view  from  the  top  consisted  of  a  white 
effulgence  toward  the  north,  and  a  black  va- 
pour toward  the  plain  of  Lombardy.  The 
Alps  stood  up  to  be  counted,  from  the  Gross- 
glockner  to  Monte  Rosa.  A  solemn  radiance 
enveloped  the  farther  peaks  on  the  sky-line, 
the  nearer  ones  glistened  with  their  crusted 
sides.  The  Order  group  itself  broke  all 
around  into  fantastic  forms,  blue  gulfs  and 
staring  pinnacles.  And  below,  the  world  of 
the  Vintsgau,  of  Trafoi  and  Sulden,  of  the 
zigzagging  Stelvio  road,  and  of  the  profound 
Italian  valleys,  was  yawning,  stretching,  and 
getting  ready  for  another  day's  work.  Here 
the  Teuton,  there  the  Latin.  Here  the  pine, 
there  the  olive.  Two  races  meeting  along  a 
wavering  mountain  line,  and  learning  to  live 
together  in  a  mutually  helpful  and  beneficial 
relationship  of  true  brotherhood. 

The  return  to  the  Payerhutte  was  a  hop, 
230  • 


The  Ortler 

skip,  and  a  jump  over  the  snow,  and  a  careful 
picking  of  steps  down  the  icy  crust.  Then 
came  the  path  down  to  Sulden  over  the  once 
dreaded  Tabarettawande.  This  path  has  been 
much  improved  by  the  Prague  Section  of 
the  German-Austrian  Alpine  Club,  so  as 
to  render  it  safe  and  practicable  for  the  aver- 
age visitor. 

By  noon  I  was  down  in  Sulden,  and  had 
paid  off  my  guide,  but  so  great  was  the  rush 
of  visitors  during  this  heated  term  that,  when 
I  asked  for  a  room  at  the  hotel,  I  was  in- 
formed that  I  might  put  my  name  down  for 
a  mattress  in  the  dining-room;  perhaps  there 
would  be  a  vacancy  there  before  night,  but 
a  private  room,  a  separate  room,  was  unfor- 
tunately out  of  the  question. 

Sulden  is  a  comparative  newcomer  among 
tourist  resorts.  A  few  decades  ago  some  herd- 
ers lived  there,  clustered  around  a  little  chapel 
dedicated  to  St.  Gertrude,  and  served  by  a 
priest,  Curat  Eller.  The  glacier  which  came 
down  into  the  head  of  the  valley  was  known 
vaguely  as  "  At  the  End  of  the  World."  An 
occasional  scientist,  an  officer  on  survey,  or 
a  cattle  dealer,  might  penetrate  there  from 
time  to  time,  but  no  tourist  in  the  modern 
sense  of  the  name. 

231 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Curat  Eller  and  his  two  sisters,  from  small 
beginnings,  in  giving  shelter  to  rare  travellers, 
found  it  necessary  to  go  into  the  hotel  business 
itself.  Then  other  hotels  were  built.  Some 
of  the  herders  of  Sulcfen  have  been  gradually 
transformed  into  guides,  porters,  and  drivers. 
Walks  have  been  laid  through  the  larch  and 
pine  forests,  across  the  summer  pastures,  and 
up  the  steep  rocks  to  the  ice-fields,  and  the 
German-Austrian  Alpine  Club  has  built  its 
invaluable  huts  in  the  heights. 

The  Konigspitze  is  immensely  impressive 
from  Sulden.  It  looks  like  a  monster  pyra- 
mid, and  its  summit  is  only  a  few  feet  below 
that  of  the  Order.  It  was  first  ascended  by 
the  indefatigable  Messrs.  Tuckett  and  Buxton 
from  the  Italian  side,  but  is  now  generally 
ascended  from  Sulden  by  the  Schaubachhutte. 
It  has  even  been  ascended  by  the  tremendous 
snowy  precipice  which  faces  you,  as  you  sit 
looking  up  comfortably  from  your  hotel  ve- 
randa. Human  beings  have  actually  climbed 
obliquely  across  that  side  of  the  pyramid  to 
the  top,  and  returned  to  tell  of  their  audacity. 

In  the  afternoon  I  decided  to  walk  quietly 
down  to  Gomagoi,  and  spend  the  night  there. 
The  dusk  was  just  descending  when  I  reached 
that  place.  The  good  kind  lady  stood  on  the 

232 


The  Ortler 

door-step.  There  was  an  inviting  smell  from 
the  kitchen.  I  took  off  my  Rucksack.  "  I 
shall  want  to  go  to  my  room  at  once,"  I  said 
to  her.  "  I  have  come  down  from  the  Ortler 
to-day."  The  landlady  looked  pained:  she 
had  not  a  single  room  vacant,  not  even  a  bed 
anywhere.  I  would  gladly  have  slept  in  the 
garret,  or  the  laundry,  or  in  a  bath-tub,  if 
there  had  been  any  unoccupied. 

It  was  nine  o'clock  that  night  when  I 
reached  Prad,  having  walked  down  from  the 
top  of  the  Ortler  to  the  floor  of  the  Vintsgau 
in  one  day,  a  difference  of  about  ten  thousand 
feet. 

The  Stelvio  Pass 

From  the  top  of  the  Ortler  the  windings 
of  a  white  road  are  visible  reaching  up  from 
the  Vintsgau  over  a  great  mountain  saddle 
into  Italy.  This  road  from  Prad  over  the 
Stelvio  Pass  to  Bormio  was  not  built  for  tour- 
ists. It  dates  from  a  time  when  travellers  of 
this  sort  were  neither  numerous  nor  highly 
considered.  The  road  was  constructed  by 
Emperor  Francis  I.  for  military  purposes,  as 
forming  the  shortest  connection  between  the 
Tyrol  and  Milan,  and  was  finished  in  the  win- 
ter of  1824 "  25- 

233 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

The  Stelvio  road  (German  Stilfserstrasse) 
has  the  reputation  of  being  the  highest  car- 
riage pass  in  Europe,  the  top  being  9,055  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  There  was  some 
fighting  over  the  pass  in  1848  between  the 
Tyrolese  and  the  Italian  volunteers,  and  again 
in  the  years  of  1859  an<i  I&66.  The  road  is 
open  generally  from  the  middle  of  June  to 
the  middle  of  October. 

The  pass  is  named  after  a  village  which 
does  not  lie  directly  on  the  road,  but  on  the 
mountainside  near  Prad,  the  village  of  Stilfs 
(Italian  Stelvio). 

One  of  the  noblest  points  of  view  is  beyond 
Trafoi,  at  the  Weisse  Knott,  where  an  obelisk 
was  erected,  in  1884,  to  Joseph  Pichler,  com- 
monly called  Passeirer  Josl,  who  made  the 
first  ascent  of  the  Ortler  in  1804. 

The  station  of  Franzenshohe,  above  the 
timber-line,  is  protected  from  avalanches  by 
a  veritable  forest  of  wooden  stakes.  The  peo- 
ple of  Glurns  in  the  Vintsgau  send  their  cattle 
here  in  summer,  and  keep  a  dairy  next  to  the 
post  building.  Snow  hens  and  marmots  may 
be  seen  in  the  neighbourhood,  but  rarely 
during  the  tourist  season.  Both  Trafoi  and 
Franzenshohe  are  said  to  be  veritable  happy 
hunting-grounds  for  collectors  of  rare  insects. 

234 


The  Ortler 

A  walk  of  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  from  the 
top  of  the  pass  brings  you  to  the  hill  known 
as  the  Dreisprachenspitze,  the  meeting-place 
of  three  languages,  of  German-speaking 
Tyrol,  of  the  Romansch-speaking  canton  of 
Graubunden  in  Switzerland,  and  of  the  Ital- 
ian-speaking Val  Tellina. 

Down  on  the  other  side  lies  Bormio,  which 
the  Germans  call  Worms,  but  that  lies  beyond 
the  boundaries  of  the  land  of  Tyrol. 


235 


ITALIAN   TYROL 


CHAPTER   XXV 

TRENT 

TRENT  is  of  the  same  gray  colour  as  the 
rocky  soil  from  which  it  springs.  It  forms 
part  and  parcel  of  the  mountains  of  limestone 
which  look  down  upon  it. 

After  this  first  impression  of  colour  in  mon- 
otone comes  one  of  form.  The  two  domes  of 
the  cathedral,  the  campanile  of  Santa  Maria 
Maggiore,  the  old  episcopal  Castello  del  Buon 
Consiglio,  and  some  strong  towers  detach 
themselves  and  rise  above  the  housetops  to 
give  the  city  outline  and  character. 

Trent,  though  in  Austria,  is  Italian  in 
speech  and  custom,  and  in  the  style  of  its 
architecture.  It  is  scrupulously  clean  and 
orderly,  and  characterized  by  a  certain  pro- 
vincial repose  and  solidity. 

As  we  enter  the  city  some  leisurely  bullock- 
wagons  creep  in  and  out,  laden  with  casks  of 
wine,  or  with  cylindrical  baskets  full  of 

239 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

salmon-coloured  silk  cocoons,  or  with  blocks 
of  marble  from  the  quarries  in  the  suburbs. 

There  are  over  twenty-five  thousand  inhab- 
itants. The  city  is  the  political,  military,  and 
judiciary  centre  of  the  Trentino,  and  was  once 
the  wealthiest  city  in  Tyrol. 

The  square  near  the  station  is  adorned  with 
a  notable  statue  of  Dante,  erected  in  1896. 

The  cathedral  of  Trent  is  a  Romanesque 
basilica  with  two  unequal  domes.  Four  peri- 
ods of  construction  are  known,  included  be- 
tween the  eleventh  and  fifteenth  centuries.  A 
last  restoration  took  place  between  the  years 
1882  and  1889.  The  whole  is  considered  by 
architects  an  interesting  example  of  Lombard 
style,  as  affected  by  German  influences.  The 
interior  is  in  the  shape  of  a  Latin  cross. 
Among  the  monuments  is  a  tombstone  of  the 
Venetian  general,  Roberto  da  Sanseverino, 
who  was  defeated  at  Galliano,  in  1487,  by  the 
Tyrolese  troops  of  Archduke  Sigmund,  Count 
of  Tyrol. 

United  to  the  cathedral  is  the  old  Palazzo 
Pretorio,  now  used  for  military  offices.  At 
the  end  of  that  rises  the  Torre  Grande,  which 
carries  a  famous  old  bell. 

In  the  cathedral  piazza  stands  an  elaborate 
fountain  of  Neptune,  erected  in  1769. 

240 


Trent 

In  the  Palazzo  Municipale  are  gathered  all 
the  municipal  offices,  besides  the  library  and 
museum.  The  library  is  rich  in  manuscripts 
and  rare  editions.  Among  other  treasures  it 
is  said  to  preserve  a  Virgil  of  the  eleventh 
century,  the  codex  which  goes  by  the  name  of 
Glagolita  Clozianus.  Unfortunately  the  li- 
brary is  closed  during  the  months  of  August 
and  September,  when  travellers  pass  through 
Trent  in  greatest  numbers.  The  museum, 
however,  may  always  be  visited.  The  latter 
has  large  collections  of  coins,  medals,  and 
seals,  of  special  interest  to  students  of  local 
history,  as  well  as  cabinets  displaying  the 
fauna  and  flora  and  the  mineral  resources  of 
the  Trentino.  The  principal  curiosities  are 
an  Etruscan  inscription,  a  Roman  tablet  con- 
taining an  edict  of  Claudius,  described  by 
Mommsen,  and  a  number  of  valuable  bronzes. 

Among  the  palazzi  which  have  historic  or 
artistic  interest  may  be  mentioned: 

The  Casa  Geremia  (now  Podetti),  where 
Maximilian  I.  lodged  in  1508,  and  the  Cardi- 
nal Gonzaga  during  the  third  period  of  the 
Council  of  Trent. 

The  Palazzo  Galasso  (now  Zambelli)  has 
been  turned  into  a  savings-bank.  It  is  one 
of  the  handsomest  houses  in  Trent,  and  was 

241 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

built  in  1581  by  Georg  Fugger,  one  of  the  rich 
Augsburg  family  of  merchant  princes. 

Palazzo  Tabarelli  is  in  Tuscan  style.  The 
designs  are  said  to  have  been  furnished  by 
Bramante  da  Urbino. 

The  Castello  del  Buon  Consiglio  was  for- 
merly the  residence  of  the  prince  bishops  of 
Trent  from  the  thirteenth  to  the  nineteenth 
centuries.  It  is  now  used  as  barracks.  The 
circular  tower  at  the  northern  end  is  of 
Roman  origin  though  restored  in  1809.  Dur- 
ing the  military  occupation  of  1797  the  castle 
was  plundered  by  the  soldiery  quartered  there. 
In  1811  its  vast  frescoed  halls  were  turned 
into  dormitories  and  all  that  remained  of  the 
furnishings  were  sold  at  auction.  The  work 
of  destruction  and  disintegration  has  long 
since  been  stopped  and  the  interior  is  well 
worthy  of  a  visit.  Permission  can  be  obtained 
of  the  officer  in  charge. 

The  tower  of  the  Castello  del  Buon  Con- 
siglio offers  an  excellent  view  of  Trent;  so 
does  the  Doss  Trento,  a  solitary  hill  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Adige.  Permission  from 
the  military  authorities,  however,  is  necessary 
for  this  latter  visit. 

Among  the  towers  of  Trent  are  also  the 
Torre  Verde,  a  round  tower  covered  with  a 

242 


Trent 

roof  of  green  and  yellow  glazed  tiles,  and  the 
Torre  Vanga,  a  square  tower  built  by  a 
Bishop  Vanga  (1207-18).  These  doubtless 
formed  part  of  the  fortifications  of  the  ancient 
city. 

A  brand-new  Palazzo  della  Giustizia  gives 
shelter  to  law  offices,  public  departments,  and 
prison  cells,  and  the  great  Caserne  (barracks) 
Madruzze  have  accommodations  for  a  whole 
regiment  with  all  its  belongings,  while  from 
the  enormous  Piazza  d'Armi,  the  drill- 
ground,  the  blare  of  military  trumpets  fre- 
quently resounds  into  the  surrounding  homes 
and  vineyards. 

The  Council 

Why  should  a  small  provincial  city  in  the 
Southern  Tyrol  have  been  selected  as  the  meet- 
ing-place for  a  Church  council,  which  was 
originally  intended  to  regulate  the  ecclesi- 
astical affairs  of  the  whole  of  Christendom? 
For  the  simple  reason  that  in  the  sixteenth 
century  Trent  lay,  as  it  lies  to-day,  in  the 
borderland  between  German  and  Italian  in- 
fluences; on  Austrian  soil,  but  containing  an 
Italian-speaking  population. 

It  was  reasonable  to  suppose  that,  in  such 
243 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

a  place,  adherents  of  all  parties  could  be 
brought  together  to  discuss  a  modus  vivendi. 

In  1545,  the  year  during  which  the  council 
really  began  its  sittings,  Charles  V.  was  on 
the  throne  of  Germany,  seeking  to  restore  the 
unity  of  the  Church.  Shortly  before,  he  had 
met  the  Pope  at  Lucca  in  Italy  to  discuss  the 
scope  of  the  council,  as  well  as  the  where  and 
when  of  its  convening.  Trent  was  selected 
for  the  meeting-place  as  the  result  of  a  com- 
promise. In  fact,  apart  from  the  scarcity  of 
good  lodgings,  Trent  proved  well  fitted  for 
its  historic  function,  being  situated  on  the 
route  from  Innsbruck  to  Verona. 

As  early  as  August  of  1542,  a  few  ecclesi- 
astics and  their  retinues  arrived  at  Trent,  but 
it  was  not  until  the  following  January  that  a 
beginning  was  made  of  opening  the  council 
with  a  scanty  gathering  of  Italian  prelates. 
The  Spaniards  and  Germans  were  delayed  by 
wars  and  rumours  of  wars.  The  council  was 
soon  prorogued  so  that  it  did  not  meet  again 
until  1545.  In  fact,  it  is  customary  to  date 
the  opening  of  the  council  from  that  year. 

In  1552,  Maurice  of  Saxony,  having  quar- 
relled with  Emperor  Charles,  invaded  the 
Tyrol.  Panic  seized  the  council;  and  most 


244 


SANTA    MARIA   MAGGIORE    IN    TRENT,    WHERE    THE    COUNCIL 
WAS    HELD 


Trent 

of  its  members  fled,  after  reaffirming  the  de- 
crees previously  passed. 

Ten  years  later,  what  was  virtually  another 
council  met  in  Trent  to  initiate  the  so-called 
Counter-Reformation. 

According  to  all  accounts,  the  sittings  of  the 
council  were  held,  not  in  the  cathedral,  but 
in  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Maggiore,  a 
handsome  structure  built  of  rust-red  marble, 
with  the  ornamentation  in  the  white  marble 
of  Trent.  There  is  a  mixture  of  styles,  the 
Renaissance  predominating.  The  fine  cam- 
panile is  Lombard.  As  it  stands,  the  building 
dates  from  the  years  1514  to  1539,  just  before 
the  assembling  of  the  council.  The  interior, 
in  contrast  to  the  rather  severe  exterior,  is  dis- 
tinctly ornate.  There  is  an  organ-loft  of  ex- 
ceptional beauty,  the  work  of  one  Vincenzo 
Vicentin,  done  in  1534.  Its  white  marble 
balustrade  and  the  supports  are  thickly  cov- 
ered with  decorative  designs  and  bas-reliefs 
and  statuettes  of  fine  workmanship.  Santa 
Maria  Maggiore  also  contains  several  pic- 
tures, among  others  a  reputed  Tintoretto. 

A  picture  which  makes  no  pretence  of  ar- 
tistic worth  sets  forth  the  members  of  the 
council  in  the  order  in  which  they  sat:  seven 
cardinals,  three  patriarchs,  thirty-three  arch- 

245 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

bishops,  and  235  bishops.     Their  names  are 
recorded  below. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  church  stands  a 
column,  erected  in  1845  to  commemorate  the 
third  centenary  of  the  opening  of  the  council. 


246 


STATUE  OF  DANTE  IN  TRENT 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

DANTE  IN  THE  TRENTINO 

THE  statue  of  Dante  in  the  square  near  the 
station  of  Trent  suggests  the  question:  Was 
Dante  ever  in  the  Trentino? 

Dante's  wanderings  during  his  years  of  ex- 
ile have  always  formed  a  fascinating  study  for 
speculative  scholars.  Italian  cities  have  com- 
peted with  each  other  for  the  honour  of  hav- 
ing harboured  him,  as  the  Greek  cities  did  for 
the  honour  of  having  given  birth  to  Homer, 
and  as  American  houses  pride  themselves  on 
having  sheltered  Washington.  The  descrip- 
tion of  a  glacier  in  the  Inferno,  XXXII. , 
70-71,  has  even  given  rise  to  the  supposition 
that  Dante  may  have  visited  Switzerland. 
However  that  may  be,  there  is  considerable 
likelihood  that  Dante  did  set  foot  in  the  Tren- 
tino at  least. 

This  belief  arises  from  certain  references  to 
the  Trentino  in  the  "  Divina  Commedia," 
such  references  as  it  would  seem  only  an  eye- 

247 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

witness  could  have  made;  likewise  from 
Dante's  intimate  analysis  of  the  Trentino  dia- 
lect in  one  of  his  minor  treatises,  "  De  Vulgari 
Eloquentia." 

An  Englishman,  Henry  Clark  Barlow, 
seems  to  have  been  the  first  foreign  scholar 
to  discuss  Dante's  sojourn  in  the  Trentino. 
In  1864  he  published  an  article  in  the  Athe- 
naum  on  "  Dante  at  Verona  and  at  the  Val 
Lagarina  "  (the  Val  Lagarina  being  the  name 
given  to  the  Lower  Adige  valley). 

Since  that  date  other  scholars  have  debated 
this  same  question.  Some  of  their  conclusions 
are  set  forth  in  a  pamphlet  entitled  "  Dante 
nel  Trentino,"  by  Eugenio  Zaniboni,  pub- 
lished at  Trent  in  1896. 

Zaniboni  connects  Dante's  voyage  in  the 
Trentino  with  his  first  visit  to  Verona,  soon 
after  his  expulsion  from  Florence.  He  places 
Dante's  arrival  in  Verona  sometime  during 
the  winter  of  1302-03,  and  his  visit  to  the 
Trentino  between  the  end  of  March,  1304, 
and  the  middle  of  May. 

Verona  at  that  time  was  under  the  rule  of 
Bartolomeo  Scaliger  and  one  of  the  latter's 
special  friends  was  Guglielmo  di  Castelbarco, 
whose  possessions  lay  in  the  Trentino.  Tradi- 
tion has  fixed  upon  the  castle  of  Lizzana,  one 

248 


Dante  in  the  Trentino 

of  the  Castelbarco  properties,  as  Dante's  place 
of  abode  in  the  Trentino.  This  castle,  now 
in  ruins,  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Adige,  between  Rovereto  and  Ala. 

Among  Dante's  references  to  the  Trentino, 
the  most  striking  is  the  following: 


"  Qual  e  quella  ruina,  che  nel  fianco 
Di  qua  da  Trento  1'  Adige  percosse 
O  per  tremoto,  o  per  sostegno  manco  ; 
Che  da  cima  del  monte,  onde  si  mosse, 
Al  piano,  e  si  la  roccia  discoscesa, 
Ch'  alcuna  via  darebbe  a  chi  su  fosse." 
—  Inferno,  XIL 


The  ruina  here  mentioned  is  close  to  Liz- 
zana.  It  is  the  "  Rovina  di  Marco,"  popularly 
called  the  "  Slavini  or  Lavini  di  Marco."  In- 
vestigators have  not  yet  agreed  among  them- 
selves whether  these  Slavini  are  really  the 
result  of  a  landslide,  which  is  said  to  have 
taken  place  here  in  833,  or  whether  they  are 
only  a  moraine  left  by  some  prehistoric  glacier 
in  the  valley  of  the  Adige.  The  hamlet  of 
San  Marco  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  this 
mountain  debris.  Little  oases  have  been  res- 
cued from  the  rocky  desolation  and  planted 
with  vineyards.  Dante's  description  is  so  ac- 

249 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

curate  that  one  presumes  that  he  must  have 
seen  the  ruina  with  his  own  eyes. 

Elsewhere  Dante  shows  considerable  knowl- 
edge of  the  topography  of  the  Trentino. 

"  In  quella  parte  della  terra  prava 
Italica,  che  siede  tra  Rialto 
E  le  fontane  di  Brenta  e  di  Piava." 

—  Paradiso,  IX.  (25). 

The  reference  here  is  to  two  streams  of 
Southern  Tyrol:  to  the  Brenta,  which  flows 
from  the  lake  of  Caldonazzo  through  the 
Valsugana  into  the  Adriatic;  and  to  the  Piave, 
which  rises  in  the  Dolomites  and,  passing 
Pieve  di  Cadore,  likewise  empties  itself  into 
the  Adriatic. 

A  more  obscure  reference  is  the  following: 

u  Anzi  che  Chiarentana  il  caldo  santa." 

—  Inferno,  X7.  (p). 

Chiarentana  has  been  identified  by  some 
commentators  as  the  modern  Canzana  or  Ca- 
renzana,  a  mountain  which  rises  above  the 
lake  of  Levico  and  stretches  along  the  left 
bank  of  the  Brenta.  This  identification,  how- 
ever, is  in  no  sense  complete,  and  many  com- 
mentators find  it  unsatisfactory. 

250 


Dante  in  the  Trent ino 

While  these  references  therefore  are  un- 
doubtedly significant,  they  cannot  be  said  to 
furnish  proof  positive  that  Dante  set  foot  in 
the  Trentino.  At  most,  they  establish  a  like- 
lihood of  his  having  done  so. 

There  is  also  great  probability  that  Dante 
knew  Lake  Garda.  At  least  it  is  hardly  cred- 
ible that  any  one  who  had  not  seen  it  could 
have  written  those  great  lines,  beginning: 

"  Suso  in  Italia  bella  giace  un  laco." 

—  Inferno,  XX.  (<5/). 

If  Dante  visited  the  Lower  Adige  valley 
and  also  Lake  Garda  it  is  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  he  must  have  crossed  over  the  moun- 
tains which  separate  the  one  from  the  other. 
The  common  route  from  the  Adige  valley  to 
Lake  Garda  is  by  way  of  the  village  of  Mori, 
which  is  near  the  Castle  of  Lizzana,  where 
Dante  is  reputed  to  have  stayed.  The  route 
rises  thence  over  the  pass  of  Loppio,  the  prop- 
erty of  the  modern  Counts  of  Castelbarco  of 
Milan,  to  Nago,  and  thus  to  Torbole  or  Arco. 
This  is  the  route  which  Goethe  took  more 
than  four  hundred  years  after  Dante's  sup- 
posed visit,  and  this  is  the  same  route  which 


251 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

is  followed  by  the  modern  railroad  and  the 
modern  tourists. 

Now  Zaniboni  thinks  that  the  Inferno  had 
not  yet  been  written  when  Dante  made  his  visit 
to  the  Trentino,  but  that  he  went  to  work  upon 
it  soon  after  his  return  to  Italy.  Zaniboni 
believes  that  Dante  took  the  notes  on  which 
the  Inferno  is  based  during  this  voyage.  Cer- 
tainly the  Inferno  is  full  of  descriptions  of 
Alpine  scenery,  which  read  as  though  they 
must  have  been  written  from  impressions  or 
notes  taken  on  the  spot. 

Admitting,  then,  that  Dante  visited  the 
Trentino  and  Lake  Garda,  and  that  he  wrote 
the  Inferno  soon  after  his  return  to  Italy,  it 
is  fair  to  suppose  that  the  scenery  of  the  moun- 
tains of  the  Trentino  and  of  those  surrounding 
Lake  Garda  must  have  influenced  his  descrip- 
tion of  the  Inferno. 

Most  of  the  lower  valley  of  the  Adige  is 
intensely  impressive.  Every  object  is  on  a 
vast  scale,  touched  out  in  tragic  whites  and 
grays.  The  bare  mountains,  the  glaring  cliffs, 
the  gravelly  deserts,  and  the  tracks  of  devas- 
tation are  full  of  portent. 

Such  scenery  could  not  fail  to  have  had  its 
influence  upon  Dante,  coming  from  the  gentle 


252 


Dante  in  the  Trentino 

and  sweet  hill  country  of  Florence,  and  from 
the  vast  green  plains  around  Verona. 

The  pass  of  Loppio  to  Lake  Garda  is  also 
immensely  impressive,  especially  that  view 
from  Nago,  where  the  whole  of  Lake  Garda 
suddenly  bursts  into  sight  shimmering  like  the 
sea,  and  blue  as  a  gentian. 

But  there  is  another  route  from  the  Adige 
valley  to  Lake  Garda,  which  must  not  be 
overlooked  in  this  connection.  That  is  the 
route  from  Trent,  through  the  Buco  di  Vela, 
to  Alle  Sarche,  and  down  by  the  Val  Sarca  to 
Lake  Garda.  The  scenery  from  Alle  Sarche 
to  within  sight  of  Arco  is  the  dreariest,  wild- 
est, and  most  piteous  imaginable.  Similar 
tracts  of  desolation  are  occasionally  encoun- 
tered in  the  upper  Alpine  solitudes  on  the 
snow  line,  where  neither  tree  nor  blade  of 
grass  will,  grow,  but  nowhere  else  can  I  re- 
member finding  such  an  effect  down  in  a  val- 
ley which  is  only  a  few  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea. 

At  one  point,  near  a  hamlet  called  Pietra 
Murata,  the  Val  Sarca  becomes  a  veritable 
horror.  The  valley  is  full  of  mountain  debris. 
A  prehistoric  glacier  seems  to  have  left  mo- 
raines in  its  track.  The  mountains  look  as 
if  they  had  stripped  themselves  of  their  super- 

253 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

fluous  blocks  and  hurled  them  into  the  gray 
chasm.  The  ground  is  sterile  and  blighted. 
The  heat  is  suffocating  between  the  shadeless 
cliffs,  which  have  split  open  here  and  there 
into  ghastly  gorges.  Even  when  snow  flies 
here  in  winter,  it  melts  before  it  reaches  the 
ground.  Far  up  on  a  crag  a  castle  stands 
against  the  sombre  precipices,  superb  and  de- 
fiant in  its  decay. 

It  is  not  till  Dro  is  reached  that  the  tension 
is  relieved.  There  a  few  mulberry-trees  grow 
by  the  roadside,  and  vines  and  patches  of  corn 
thrive  among  the  waste  places.  Then  come 
some  olive-trees  shading  the  cliffs.  The 
unique  rock  fortress  of  Arco  looms  up.  The 
floor  of  the  valley  becomes  smooth  and  as 
closely  cultivated  as  a  garden.  We  pass  from 
the  desert  into  a  land  of  plenty,  from  the  In- 
ferno into  the  Paradiso.  Finally,  the  south 
wind,  the  thrice-blessed  ora,  meets  us  from 
Lake  Garda,  and  we  feel  that  we  have  been 
rescued  indeed  from  a  valley  of  desolation. 

Is  it  not  possible  that  Dante  saw  the  Val 
Sarca?  Perhaps,  instead  of  taking  the  cus- 
tomary route  from  Mori  over  Loppio  to  Tor- 
bole,  he  in  reality  passed  from  Trent  by  the 
Val  Sarca  to  Torbole;  or,  perhaps  again,  he 


254 


Dante  in  the  Trentino 

visited  the  Val  Sarca  from  Torbole  itself  in 
an  excursion  to  the  north. 

Whatever  may  be  the  truth  about  "  Dante 
in  the  Trentino,"  it  would  seem  that  the  Val 
Sarca  corresponds  probably  more  closely  to 
Dante's  description  of  the  Inferno,  and  to 
Dore's  illustrations  of  Dante's  work,  than  any 
stretch  of  Alpine  ground  from  end  to  end  of 
the  great  chain. 


255 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

VALSUGANA 

THE  Valsugana  is  no  longer  an  unfre- 
quented valley.  The  railroad  from  Trent  to 
Tezze  has  revived  a  once  much  travelled 
route,  which  brings  Venice  perceptibly  nearer 
to  Germany. 

The  Valsugana  has  an  agitated  history,  as 
befits  a  valley  situated  between  two  races 
struggling  for  the  mastery.  It  was  known 
to  the  Romans,  of  course.  A  place  called 
Ausuganea  is  marked  on  the  Itinerary  of  An- 
tonine,  where  the  village  of  Borgo  now  stands. 
Out  of  this  Vallis  Ausuganea  finally  came  the 
contraction  of  Valsugana. 

During  successive  invasions  by  Goths,  Lon- 
gobards,  and  Franks,  the  valley  shared  the 
fortunes  of  Trent.  In  1027  Emperor  Conrad 
II.  (the  Salian)  divided  the  valley  between 
the  bishops  of  Trent  and  Feltre.  There  en- 

256 


Valsugana 

sued  a  kaleidoscopic  struggle  for  supremacy 
lasting  many  centuries,  in  which  these  bishops, 
the  Republic  of  Venice,  the  rulers  of  Verona 
and  Milan,  the  Counts  of  Tyrol,  and  various 
local  lords  were  involved.  Out  of  this  confu- 
sion the  Counts  of  Tyrol  slowly  disengaged 
themselves  as  masters  during  the  fourteenth 
century,  and  were  followed  by  the  Archdukes 
of  Austria,  who  had  inherited  their  posses- 
sions. In  modern  times  also  the  Valsugana 
has  seen  much  war.  From  1796  to  1813  it 
suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  French,  and  in 
1848  and  1866  at  the  hands  of  the  Italians. 

The  train  mounts  from  Trent  first  with  a 
big  sweep  and  over  a  viaduct,  as  though  to  get 
its  bearings,  then  up  the  rocky  defile,  at  the 
bottom  of  which  the  Fersina  runs  swiftly. 
Looking  back,  Trent  is  seen  lying  in  the  plain. 
The  vines  grow  luxuriantly  on  the  lower 
flanks  of  the  mountains,  but  in  this  southern 
land  there  are  neither  forests  nor  verdure  to 
soften  the  harsh  rocks  above.  There  is  a  mo- 
mentary glimpse  of  snow  on  the  Adamello 
to  the  west,  and  then  the  train  puffs  through  a 
tunnel. 

Across  the  chasm  of  the  Fersina  lies  the 
large  fort  of  Civezzano. 


257 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Per  gin  e 

The  railroad  comes  out  upon  a  great  up- 
land valley  at  Pergine,  a  valley  where  the 
distinctly  southern,  almost  Oriental,  aspect  of 
the  plain  of  the  Adige  merges  itself  into  sce- 
nery of  semi-Alpine  character.  The  result  is 
a  new  kind  of  landscape,  peculiar  to  the  Val- 
sugana,  partaking  of  the  north  and  the  south, 
of  the  vine,  the  mulberry-tree,  the  chestnut- 
tree,  and  the  waving  corn,  but,  at  the  same 
time,  of  the  pine  forests  and  the  green  fields. 

A  fine  old  castle  looks  down  on  Pergine. 
The  place  is  busy  with  some  silk-spinning  fac- 
tories and  other  industries.  It  has  a  monthly 
cattle  market,  and  at  the  station  there  is  con- 
siderable local  movement. 

At  one  time  there  was  much  mineral  wealth 
in  the  neighbouring  mountains,  principally  in 
copper,  lead,  silver,  and  iron.  Many  experi- 
enced German  miners  were  imported  by  the 
resident  lords.  There  was  a  guild  of  these 
Knappen.  The  Italians  called  them  Canopi, 
and  the  mines  Canope.  Little  by  little,  how- 
ever, the  mines  were  abandoned.  Some  were 
exhausted,  others,  as  they  approached  the 
point  of  exhaustion,  could  not  be  made  to 
pay,  partly  from  lack  of  transportation  facil- 

258 


Valsugana 

ities,  partly  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  fuel 
wherewith  to  reduce  the  ore.  All  available 
forests  had  been  recklessly  cut  down.  A  guild 
of  miners  in  Pergine  lasted  until  this  century, 
but  now  a  birrarla  with  the  sign  u  Ai  Canopi  " 
alone  recalls  those  old  mining  days. 

The  Canopi  shed  an  interesting  light  upon 
the  existence  of  certain  German-speaking 
communities  in  the  Val  Pine  and  Val  Fie- 
rozzo  or  Val  dei  Mocheni,  which  runs  north- 
ward from  Valsugana. 

Here  and  there  in  these  valleys  traces  of 
abandoned  mines  are  to  be  found.  For  in- 
stance, the  name  of  a  place,  Fornace,  in  Val 
Pine,  speaks  for  itself.  It  was  evidently  the 
site  of  smelting-furnaces. 

In  studying  the  origin  of  the  German  dia- 
lects in  this  Italian  environment,  the  history 
of  these  German-speaking  Knappen,  or  mi- 
ners, employed  in  the  mines,  must  be  taken 
into  account.  It  is  certain  that  they  helped 
to  keep  alive  the  dialects,  even  if  they  did  not 
actually  introduce  them  into  Val  Pine  and  the 
Val  dei  Mocheni. 

The  name  Val  Pine  has  been  derived  from 
Val  Pineta,  the  pine  valley.  In  former  times 
its  sides  were  covered  with  pines,  but  the  large 
trees  were  cut  down  for  fuel  in  the  smelting 

259 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

works,  and  the  small  ones  for  sticks  in  the 
vineyards,  and  so  the  forests  disappeared. 
The  men  now  emigrate  annually  to  find  work 
in  France,  Germany,  and  even  America,  leav- 
ing the  women  at  home  to  till  the  fields,  a 
common  practice  throughout  the  Italian- 
speaking  Alps. 

The  Val  Fierozzo  or  Val  dei  Mocheni 
branches  off  from  the  Valsugana  at  Pergine, 
and  follows  the  Fersina  to  its  source.  These 
Mocheni  speak  a  dialect  which  is  a  mixture 
of  Old  German  and  Italian.  In  order  to  help 
themselves  out  with  their  verbs,  they  con- 
stantly use  as  an  adjunct  machen,  or  mochen, 
as  they  pronounce  it.  Hence  their  nickname. 
They  now  all  know  Italian,  the  dialect  being 
reserved  for  the  family  circle. 

Fierozzo,  which  has  given  its  name  to  the 
valley,  is  claimed  to  be  a  corruption  of  the 
German  Vier  Hofen,  four  farms. 

Between  Pergine  and  the  lake  of  Caldo- 
nazzo  lies  a  fertile  stretch  of  cultivated  land 
which  was  once  a  swamp,  where  reeds  alone 
would  grow.  This  was  reclaimed  by  a  cer- 
tain Tommaso  Maier,  whose  name  sufficiently 
indicates  his  Teutonic  origin. 

The  reclaimed  lands  were  divided  between 
Pergine  itself  and  the  adjacent  villages  of 

260 


l^alsugana 

Vignola,  Ischia,  and  Susa,  every  family  re- 
ceiving a  share. 

Levico 

Taken  all  in  all,  Levico  is  a  rich  commu- 
nity. Besides  certain  mineral  springs,  it  owns 
superb  forests  and  juicy  pasture-lands  on  the 
Dodici  range  opposite,  doubly  valuable  in  this 
denuded  and  barren  part  of  the  Alps. 

To-day  Levico  reaps  the  benefit  of  having 
strictly  guarded  its  community  rights  during 
the  past  centuries.  A  torrent,  known  as  the 
Rio,  flows  down  through  the  town,  gives  life 
to  a  few  mills,  helps  to  clean  the  streets,  and 
finally  runs  down  between  two  rows  of  pop- 
lars to  irrigate  the  fields  in  the  plain  below. 

The  situation  of  Levico  is  full  of  natural 
beauties.  Imagine  a  line  of  white  houses 
against  a  southern  slope.  The  little  lake  of 
Levico  slumbers  off  to  the  west.  A  range  of 
grim  gray  cliffs  frowns  from  across  the  valley. 
The  Valsugana  bears  off  toward  the  east  with 
its  streaks  of  cultivated  land,  its  vines  clam- 
bering up  to  the  edge  of  the  larch-trees,  its 
ruined  castles  perched  on  projecting  spurs. 
At  noon  the  haymakers  rest  in  the  shade  of 
the  trees.  A  man  in  a  donkey-cart  drives 
along  the  sunny  white  road  holding  a  great 

261 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

red  parasol  over  his  head.  Yes,  here  we  have 
an  Italian  environment,  but  with  an  Alpine 
touch ! 

The  Valsugana  is  getting  to  be  a  land  of 
stabilmentl.  There  is  another  one  at  Ron- 
cegno,  which  looks  most  imposing  from  the 
train,  and  has  a  fine  garden. 

Borgo  is  the  capital  of  the  Valsugana.  It  is 
so  perfectly  picturesque  that  it  looks  as  though 
it  had  been  made  to  order  for  a  drop-curtain 
of  the  Italian  scene  description. 

There  is  a  gathering  of  white  houses  and 
flat  roofs  on  the  level  of  the  plain,  and  just 
behind  them,  about  in  the  middle,  a  peaked 
hill  rises  by  terraced  vineyards  to  the  gleam- 
ing white  castle  of  Telvana.  But  one  castle 
is  not  enough  for  Borgo,  and  so  the  very  sum- 
mit of  the  hill  is  crowned  by  another  tower, 
the  ruins  of  Castle  S.  Pietro. 

As  for  the  rest,  Borgo  makes  no  pretence 
of  being  a  tourist  resort.  It  leaves  that  task 
to  the  places  which  have  regular  stabilmentl. 
In  the  Valsugana  the  extremes  which  the  tour- 
ists bring  are  quite  apparent.  The  stabil- 
mentl of  the  cure  resorts  offer  everything 
which  the  most  fastidious  may  require,  but 
Borgo,  the  capital  of  the  valley,  though  it 


262 


Valsugana 

gives  the  best  it  can  afford,  is  primitive  in 
comparison. 

The  Val  Tesino  opens  northward  from  the 
station  of  Strigno,  a  valley  noted  for  the 
curious  costume  of  its  women  and  the  migra- 
tory habits  of  the  men.  The  main  village  is 
called  Castel  Tesino. 

The  men  of  Tesino  go  out  into  the  world  as 
peddlers  of  chromos,  religious  books,  and  op- 
tical instruments.  Exactly  why  they  should 
choose  these  particular  wares,  it  is  hard  to 
say.  Some  of  these  peddlers  penetrate  to  dis- 
tant parts  of  the  world.  They  pick  up  many 
languages,  and  they  open  stores  of  their  own 
in  Paris,  London,  and  other  world  centres. 
The  majority,  however,  especially  those  who 
own  land  at  home,  do  not  go  so  far  afield,  but 
return  every  autumn  to  spend  the  winter 
months,  leaving  the  women,  as  elsewhere,  to 
do  the  hard  manual  labour  in  the  valleys  and 
on  the  mountain  flanks. 

Tezze  is  the  last  Austrian  village.  Be- 
yond that  place  stand  the  Italian  custom- 
house and  the  fortifications  of  Italian  Primo- 
lano. 


263 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

THE  SETTE  COMUNI :  A  TEUTONIC  SURVIVAL  ON 
ITALIAN  SOIL 

THE  highland  district  of  the  Sette  Comuni, 
or  the  Seven  Communities,  forms  part  of  what 
is  virtually  a  spur  of  the  Dolomite  Alps, 
stretching  southward  into  the  great  Italian 
plain,  almost  as  far  as  Vicenza.  Here  a  Ger- 
man dialect  and  Teutonic  institutions  survive, 
although  on  Italian  soil  and  completely  sur- 
rounded by  Italian  influences. 

Similar  conditions  prevailed  until  very  re- 
cently among  the  Tredici  Comuni,  or  Thir- 
teen Communities,  which  reach  to  the  very 
gates  of  Verona;  but  the  latter,  according  to 
last  accounts,  may  now  be  described  as  entirely 
Italianized. 

As  neither  district  has  ever  stood  in  the 
direct  track  of  commerce  or  of  tourist  travel, 
visitors  from  the  outside  world  have  always 
been  exceedingly  rare,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
the  great  route  from  Verona  to  Innsbruck, 

264 


The  Sette  Comuni 

over  the  Brenner^  runs  close  under  the  preci- 
pices to  the  west,  and  in  the  east,  that  favourite 
road  into  the*  Dolomites,  the  one  from  Bassano 
to  Belluno  and  Cortina. 

Choosing  a  rough  mountain  track,  the  Me- 
nador  di  Levico,  the  writer  started  from  the 
Valsugana,  on  Austrian  soil,  one  early  morn- 
ing in  July,  to  mount  to  the  table-land  which 
promised  so  much  from  an  historical  and  lin- 
guistic standpoint. 

Two  hours  and  more  of  zigzagging  up  the 
shadeless  and  stifling  cliffs  of  the  Dodici 
range  brings  one  suddenly,  as  by  enchantment, 
into  the  fresh  forests  and  parklike  pastures 
of  Vezzena,  famous  far  and  wide  for  a  par- 
ticularly fine  sort  of  cheese.  German  philolo- 
gists, with  some  show  of  reason,  like  to  say 
that  Vezzena  is  an  Italian  corruption  of  their 
own  Wiesen,  or  fields.  However  that  may  be, 
I  had  no  sooner  crossed  over  the  frontier  into 
Italy,  and  entered  the  bleak  Val  d'Assa,  than 
I  came  upon  an  unmistakable  German  name, 
an  inn  called  the  Ghertele.  Not  only  was  this 
German  in  general,  but  Schwabisch  in  partic- 
ular; for  did  not  Gartele  mean  a  "  little  gar- 
den," as  any  peasant  in  Wurtemberg,  Baden, 
or  German  Switzerland  would  have  told  you 
at  once?  And,  sure  enough,  the  innkeeper's 

265 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

wife  was  hoeing  in  a  potato  patch,  the  only 
cultivated  land'  for  miles  in  any  direction. 
Moreover,  as  I  sat  for  awhile  in  the  inn,  the 
people  of  the  house  discussed  me  in  a  dialect 
which  they  knew  as  Cimbro,  but  which  cer- 
tainly contained  a  great  deal  of  Schwabisch. 

From  the  narrow  defile  of  the  Val  d'Assa, 
after  a  walk  of  between  eight  or  nine  hours 
from  Levico,  I  emerged  in  the  early  afternoon 
upon  a  vast  table-land  of  grass,  fringed  by  for- 
ests, —  a  plateau  some  three  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  which,  as  far  as  my 
experience  goes  in  the  Alps,  is  absolutely 
unique.  The  famous  Seiser  Alp,  farther 
north  in  the  Dolomites,  is  the  only  mountain 
pasture  which  can  be  named  in  the  same 
breath;  but  that  is  more  Alpine,  and  is  not 
inhabited  except  during  the  haying  season. 

In  the  land  of  the  Sette  Comuni  the  eye 
roams  for  many  miles  east  and  west  over  a 
rolling  highland,  green  and  joyous  as  of  the 
north,  spanned  by  a  southern  sky.  Here  and 
there  clusters  of  houses  appear  on  smooth 
knolls  of  ground ;  men  are  seen  mowing,  and 
rows  of  women  keep  time  with  a  rhythm  of 
rakes;  herds  of  cattle  graze  near  and  far,  - 
the  whole  forming  an  idyllic  dairy  district, 
surrounded  by  a  woodman's  paradise.  Sounds 

266 


The  Sette  Comuni 

carry  a  great  distance  over  the  plain,  as  over 
water,  whether  it  be  the  lowing  of  cattle,  the 
tolling  of  church-bells,  or  the  singing  of  larks 
that  soar  exuberantly  in  the  Italian  sky  above 
this  bit  of  semi-Teutonic  land.  With  the 
breath  of  the  mountains  in  one's  nostrils,  it 
is  hard  to  believe  that,  off  there,  to  the  south, 
only  a  few  miles  over  the  edge  of  this  pasture, 
lie  Verona  and  Vicenza,  and  all  the  other 
stuffy  cities  of  the  plain,  sweltering  in  their 
glaring  streets  in  the  midst  of  vine-bearing 
and  highly  coloured  Italy! 

The  houses  of  the  villages  and  hamlets  in 
the  Sette  Comuni  are  distinctly  un-Italian  in 
appearance.  For  the  most  part  they  are 
thatched  or  shingled  and  peak-roofed  in  order 
to  shed  the  snow  in  winter,  betraying  almost 
a  Gothic  tendency.  There  are  no  chimneys, 
so  that  the  smoke  from  the  hearth  issues  at 
some  convenient  window,  and  leaves  a  black 
trail  up  the  side  of  the  house.  Moreover, 
these  mountaineers  do  not  seem  to  have  that 
irresistible  desire  to  paint  their  walls  all  col- 
ours of  the  rainbow,  which  somehow  goes 
with  the  Italian  temperament.  On  the  con- 
trary, they  are  content  to  let  the  rough  mortar 
of  their  houses  weather  into  various  natural 
shades  of  gray  and  drab.  In  truth,  the  farm- 

267 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

houses  might  belong  equally  well  to  Swabia, 
or  to  any  region  where  thatched  roofs  and 
shingles  still  survive;  certainly  least  of  all 
to  Italy,  where  such  materials  for  building 
purposes  are  almost  unknown. 

There  are  said  to  be  about  five  months  of 
snow  on  the  level  of  the  plateau  in  winter, 
but  little  wind  and  much  sun,  as  in  the  resorts 
of  the  Engadine.  The  snow  on  the  surround- 
ing heights,  however,  does  not  disappear  en- 
tirely before  the  height  of  the  summer.  On 
the  day  of  my  arrival  a  destructive  hail-storm 
broke  over  the  district,  and  the  slopes  were 
white  with  hailstones  until  noon  of  the  next 
day,  which  was  the  fourth  of  July.  Curiously 
enough,  too,  when  the  weather  breaks  and  the 
air  darkens,  a  soft  gray  light  sweeps  over  the 
level,  as  of  England  or  the  coast  of  Normandy. 
The  smooth  grass-lands  become  downs  or 
dunes;  one  looks  for  the  sea  on  the  horizon, 
or  windmills  on  the  round  hillocks.  Take  it 
all  in  all,  therefore,  the  plateau  of  the  Sette 
Comuni  does  not  recall  so  much  the  Alpine 
life  of  Switzerland  and  the  Tyrol,  with  its 
chalets  and  snow  peaks,  as  some  vast  clearing 
in  the  Black  Forest,  into  which  the  spirit  of 
the  English  downs  creeps  when  the  weather 
is  bad.  Why  the  region  has  not  long  ago  be- 

9.68 


The  Sette  Comuni 

come  a  grand  summer  resort  for  the  cities  of 
the  Italian  plain  seems  incomprehensible, — 
made  to  hand  as  it  is! 

The  names  of  the  villages  comprising  the 
Sette  Comuni  are  as  follows :  Rotzo,  Roana, 
Asiago,  Gallic,  Foza,  Enego,  and  San  Gia- 
como  di  Lusiana,  —  all  of  Latin  derivation. 
United  to  them  were  once  nine  villages,  which 
went  by  the  designation  of  Contrade  Annesse, 
or  annexed  districts:  Campese,  Campolongo, 
Oliero,  Valstagna,  Valrovina,  Vallonara,  Cro- 
sara,  San  Luca,  Conco,  and  Dossanti.  Until 
recently  the  latter  appear  to  have  stood  to  the 
Seven  Communities  in  much  the  same  relation 
as  the  allied  and  subject  lands  of  the  Swiss 
Confederation  once  stood  to  the  Thirteen 
original  States. 

Of  the  total  population,  numbering  over 
thirty  thousand,  the  greater  number  are 
engaged  in  cattle-breeding,  cutting  lumber, 
charcoal-burning  and  straw-plaiting.  Many 
of  the  men,  also,  as  elsewhere  in  the  Italian- 
speaking  Alps,  go  out  into  the  world  as  ped- 
dlers, leaving  the  women  at  home  to  do  the 
field  work.  It  has  been  found  that  a  knowl- 
edge of  Cimbro  is  of  real  service  to  these 
peddlers  in  making  all  other  German  dialects 
they  may  encounter  in  their  wanderings  easy 

269 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

to  learn.  As  for  the  rest,  one  cannot  say  that 
the  type  of  the  people  is  in  the  least  German; 
on  the  contrary,  it  is  to  all  appearances  as 
Italian  as  possible,  and  often  very  handsome. 

The  principal  historical  function,  per- 
formed by  these  homines  teutonic*  in  the  past, 
was  to  act  as  an  advance-guard  of  the  Venetian 
Republic  against  encroachments  from  the 
north;  while  to-day  the  Italian  kingdom  val- 
ues the  district  mainly  for  its  strategic  posi- 
tion on  the  frontier  of  the  Austrian  Empire. 

Most  of  the  documents  relating  to  the 
period  from  the  tenth  to  the  fifteenth  century 
were  lost  in  a  fire  of  Asiago.  Since  the  fall 
of  the  Venetian  Republic  the  remaining  ar- 
chives have  for  the  most  part  been  scattered 
to  the  winds ;  stolen  when  they  seemed  to  pos- 
sess value;  burned  in  bonfires  on  holiday 
nights;  or  worse  than  all,  sold  for  a  song,  to 
be  used  as  wrapping-paper  in  meat  and  sau- 
sage shops!  I  myself  can  testify  to  the  care- 
lessness displayed  in  this  regard,  for  in  a  room 
which  once  formed  part  of  the  large  hall  of 
the  government,  and  is  now  used  for  a  little 
museum,  I  saw  drawers  full  of  parchments, 
thrown  in  pell-mell,  some  bearing  the  seals 
and  signatures  of  the  Doges  of  Venice. 

For  some  years  past  all  the  inhabitants  of 
270 


The  Sette  Comuni 

the  district  have  learned  Italian  as  well  as 
Gimbro,  so  that  at  the  present  time  the  Ger- 
man dialect  is  in  a  sense  a  special  accomplish- 
ment. It  is  to  be  found  only  in  four  of  the 
seven  communities:  in  Asiago,  Foza,  Roana, 
and  Rotzo;  and  then  is  used  mostly  in  the 
family  circle  and  by  old  people. 

Italian  scholars  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
and  even  later,  generally  accepted  the  theory 
of  a  Cimbrian  origin. 

An  amusing  story  is  told  of  Frederick  IV., 
King  of  Denmark  and  Norway,  who  paid 
a  visit  to  Asiago  in  1709.  It  appears  that, 
while  travelling  incognito  in  Italy,  as  Count 
of  Oldenburg,  and  accompanied  by  a  suite 
of  fifty-four  courtiers,  he  made  a  stay  of  a 
week  at  Vicenza.  On  one  occasion,  his  court- 
iers, strolling  about  the  town,  were  surprised 
to  come  upon  some  men  speaking  a  German 
dialect.  Upon  inquiry,  the  peasants  explained 
that  they  were  from  the  Sette  Comuni,  and 
were  speaking  Cimbro.  That  evening,  at  din- 
ner, the  curious  meeting  was  mentioned  in 
conversation,  and  next  day  Frederick,  as  king 
of  the  land  which  was  supposed  to  be  the  orig- 
inal seat  of  the  Cimbri,  decided  to  pay  a  visit 
to  the  interesting  upland.  His  cavalcade  of 
Danish  and  Italian  noblemen  were  received 

271 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

with  acclamation  by  the  peasants  of  Asiago, 
cries  of  Viva  il  re  del  Cimbri!  resounded  on 
all  sides,  and  local  hospitality  put  its  very  best 
foot  forward.  Bonato,  the  historian  of  the 
Sette  Comuni,  declares  that  Frederick  entered 
into  conversation  with  many  of  the  people, 
but  that  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  their 
dialect  had  no  relation  to  Danish  whatever; 
that,  on  the  contrary,  it  was  unquestionably 
High  German;  and  probably  derived  from 
Teutonic  races  much  nearer  to  them  than 
Denmark.  In  order  not  to  disturb  the  fes- 
tivities, adds  Bonato,  Frederick  took  care  not 
to  express  his  opinion  during  his  visit. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  first  cause,  the 
fact  is  established  that,  until  the  seventeenth 
century,  German-speaking  colonies  were  scat- 
tered far  and  wide  over  this  Alpine  district. 
Then  the  Italian  language  gradually  turned 
the  tables  upon  its  rival. 

The  peculiarities  of  this  dialect  are  by  no 
means  insurmountable.  Many  Italian  roots 
are  taken  and  German  endings  added,  as,  for 
example,  pensare,  to  think,  becomes  pensarn, 
much  in  the  same  way  as  the  Pennsylvania 
Germans  say  steamboaten,  to  travel  by  steam- 
boat. A  very  striking  peculiarity  is  the  con- 
stant change  of  v  sounds  into  b. 

272 


The  Sette  Comuni 

"  Wir  sind  "  becomes  "  bir  sain." 

An  old  man  said  to  me  at  Asiago :  "  Do  you 
know  what  we  call  '  Verona  '  here?  We  call 
it  '  Bern.'  " 

Then  I  remembered  that  Theodoric  the 
Great,  because  he  sometimes  resided  at  Ve- 
rona, was  known  in  the  German  hero  ro- 
mances as  Dietrich  von  Bern.  I  also  called  to 
mind  the  name  of  Bern,  the  capital  of  Swit- 
zerland, which  has  long  been  a  subject  of 
contention  among  historians.  The  old  chron- 
iclers used  to  say  that  the  name  was  derived 
from  the  bear,  which  is  the  heraldic  animal 
of  the  city,  but  now  we  know  that  the  Dukes 
of  Zaeringen,  founders  of  Bern,  had  once  pos- 
sessed the  Margraviate  of  Verona,  so  that  they 
must  have  named  their  new  city  in  memory  of 
the  old. 

As  a  further  example  of  this  change  of  v 
sounds  into  b,  let  me  quote  the  delightful  in- 
scription painted  beneath  the  big  sun-dial  on 
the  wall  of  the  great  parish  church  of  Asiago. 

The  North  German  of  this  would  be :  "  Ich 
Schweige,  Wenn  Das  Licht  Mir  Fehlt,  Und 
Selten  Rede,  Aber  Wahr." 

In  local  dialect  it  reads:  "Ich  Schbaige, 
Benne  De  Lichte  Vehlmar,  Un  Selten  Rede, 
Aber  Bahr." 

273 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

"  I  am  silent  when  the  light  fails  me,  and 
seldom  speak,  but  true." 

Underneath  this  inscription  we  have  the 
following  characteristic  local  names  of  the 
painters,  marvellous  mixtures  of  Italian  and 
German : 

Redeghiero  Christan  Giokel 
un  Costa  Hans  Pruk 

Michen  'Z     Jhar  1890 

Practically  all  the  words  of  the  dialect,  re- 
ferring to  objects  of  general  household  use,  are 
German,  but  sometimes  Old  German  mean- 
ings have  been  retained.  For  example,  when 
these  mountaineers  speak  of  Hose,  they  do 
not  mean  trousers,  as  the  modern  Germans 
do,  but  stockings,  like  our  English  hose. 
Sprechen,  to  speak,  becomes  prechten;  Schd- 
fer,  shepherd,  Schafar. 

In  a  room  which  once  formed  part  of  the 
hall  of  the  government,  I  found  an  old  ward- 
robe, newly  painted.  At  the  top  were  these 
words  in  quaint  characters:  "  Hia  saint  de 
Brife  von  Sieben  Kamoun."  "  Here  are  the 
charters,  or  briefs,  of  the  Seven  Communi- 
ties." But  the  wardrobe  was  empty.  All  the 
parchments  it  had  once  contained  were  scat- 
tered or  destroyed.  The  institutions  which 

274 


The  Sette  Comuni 

gave  the  Sette  Comuni  a  place  in  history,  how- 
ever humble  it  may  have  been,  have  almost 
vanished.  Only  in  certain  regulations  con- 
cerning the  ownership  and  use  of  fields  and 
forests  can  the  traces  of  independence  still  be 
discerned. 

Historians  have  more  than  once  remarked 
upon  the  sincere  attachment  which  the  Alpine 
races,  subject  to  Venice,  displayed  toward  the 
rule  of  that  republic.  The  Doges  of  Venice 
generally  wrote  in  their  documents:  I  nostri 
fedelissimi  e  poverissimi  Sette  Comuni.  It 
seems  as  though  the  rich  republic  of  the  sea 
and  the  sturdy  little  republic  of  the  mountains 
must  have  understood  each  other  most  thor- 
oughly, nor  presumed  too  much  upon  each 
other's  good  nature.  As  with  Cadore,  so  with 
the  Sette  Comuni,  tact  and  mutual  respect 
were  found  to  be  successful  where  armed  in- 
tervention might  have  proved  disastrous;  to 
this  day,  therefore,  the  lion  of  St.  Mark  still 
adorns  many  a  public  building  in  the  Dolo- 
mites. Peasant  women  still  go  to  the  village 
fountain  or  the  mountain  stream,  carrying 
copper  buckets,  slung  from  a  wooden  yoke, 
as  do  their  city  sisters  in  the  little  squares  of 
Venice. 

Under  Venetian  rule  the  government  of  the 
275 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Sette  Comuni  consisted  of  local  councils  for 
the  several  communities,  and  a  central  council 
for  the  seven,  called  the  Spettabile  Reggenza, 
representing  the  sovereign  power,  and  meet- 
ing annually  at  Asiago,  where  also  resided  a 
chancellor  of  the  Reggenza.  A  proof  of  the 
surprising  independence  of  the  Sette  Comuni 
is  afforded  by  their  so-called  Nunzi,  officials 
maintained  by  them  in  the  principal  cities  of 
the  Venetian  Republic  to  watch  over  their 
interests,  after  the  manner  of  modern  consuls. 
They  elected  their  own  judges,  and  their  only 
obligation  was  to  defend  their  mountain  passes 
against  the  foreign  foes  of  Venice.  The  men 
could  not  be  drafted  for  foreign  military  serv- 
ice. In  fact,  during  the  war  of  the  Spanish 
Succession,  when  Venice,  being  hard  pressed, 
attempted  to  force  the  Sette  Comuni  to  send 
a  small  contingent,  the  Reggenza  flatly  re- 
fused. At  the  same  time,  many  men  enlisted 
as  volunteers  to  help  Venice  in  her  struggle 
against  the  Turks,  or  even  sent  money  and 
provisions  at  critical  moments. 

But  even  if  every  word  of  the  German  dia- 
lect should  be  forgotten,  every  document  lost, 
and  the  last  inscription  effaced,  one  could  still 
feel  sure  that  strong  Teutonic  influences  had 
been  at  work  in  the  Sette  Comuni,  by  reason 

276 


The  Sette  Comuni 

of  the  system  of  common  ownership  of  field 
and  forest,  which  still  maintains  itself  there. 
Here  is  a  sign  and  symbol  which  no  student 
can  mistake. 

By  far  the  greater  part  of  the  territory  is 
property  of  the  Sette  Comuni  as  a  whole,  —  a 
large  zone,  consisting  of  forests  and  pastures, 
stretching  along  the  borders  of  the  Tyrol. 
Here  we  have  what  is  virtually  an  old-fash- 
ioned Teutonic  Mark  in  which  every  house- 
holder has  an  equal  right.  It  is  administered 
by  the  Spettabile  Consorzio  dei  Sette  Comuni, 
composed  of  seven  members,  —  a  body  which 
is  the  lineal  descendant  of  the  Reggenza  of 
Venetian  days. 

This  Consorzio  administers  the  common 
fields  and  forests,  leases  them  to  users,  and 
distributes  an  annual  dividend  to  each  of  the 
Seven  Communities,  according  to  a  ratio  of 
long  standing.  The  dividend  has  amounted 
to  about  fifty  thousand  lire,  and  represents  a 
very  handsome  revenue  for  the  little  villages. 


277 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

THE  DOLOMITES 

THE  Dolomites  are  the  transcendentalists 
among  the  mountains  —  they  are  the  peaks 
which  have  become  ethereal  through  high 
thinking.  Among  the  Alps  they  stand  for 
refinement  and  good  manners.  Though  they 
are  for  the  most  part  immensely  difficult  to 
climb,  precipitous  and  rigid,  and  hold  them- 
selves aloof,  yet,  having  once  admitted  you 
to  their  friendship,  their  attitude  becomes  one 
of  kindliness  and  courtesy.  If  they  have  a 
lofty  regard,  and  seem  to  keep  the  inquisitive 
at  arm's  length,  it  is  because  they  choose  to 
separate  themselves  from  all  that  is  glib  and 
rampant.  There  is  an  exquisite  reserve  about 
them  which  is  wholly  theirs,  a  gentle  pride,  a 
quality  of  purity  which  serves  to  eliminate 
their  material  dross,  and  to  transform  them, 
century  by  century,  into  great  abstractions 
pointing  to  the  sky. 

The  Dolomites  owe  much  to  their  delicate 
278 


THE    J'AJOLETT.   THURME 

6  The  Dolomites  ar€^  the  transcenden- 
talists  among  the  mountains" 


The  Dolomites 

colouring.  They  are  the  pale  faces  among 
the  peaks,  and  their  pallor  is  largely  a  matter 
of  contrast,  for  their  limestone  sides  often  rise 
abruptly  from  the  darkest  and  most  vivid  for- 
ests imaginable,  with  no  transition  nor  inter- 
mediate colours  to  prepare  the  eye;  the  gray 
close  upon  the  green,  the  dazzling  white 
against  the  black.  Looking  back  upon  our 
Dolomite  days,  this  contrast  always  comes  first 
to  our  recollection;  the  rich,  sombre  pines 
that  seem  to  yield  a  little  of  their  stiffness  in 
the  mellow  light,  and  almost  take  on  curves 
and  flowing  lines  out  of  sheer  luxuriance,  and 
then  the  sudden  uncompromising  shafts  that 
spring  from  them,  serene,  majestic,  and  im- 
memorial. 

Look  for  almost  any  colour  in  the  Dolo- 
mites, and  you  will  find  it.  The  violet-grays 
and  the  red  and  yellow  shades  acquire  a  new 
tenderness  there,  an  unlooked-for  sentiment. 
Peace  dwells  in  the  quiet  shadows.  The 
mountains  themselves  seem  to  be  covered  with 
some  soft  substance  as  though  nature  had 
powdered  them  with  the  bloom  of  plums  or 
peaches,  for  their  magnesian-limestone  rocks 
readily  disintegrate  under  the  influence  of  the 
atmosphere. 

The  Dolomites  are  said  to  be  the  remains  of 
279 


The  Fair  Land  Jyrol 

coral  reefs,  now  stranded  high  and  dry.  As 
far  as  a  mere  layman  can  judge  of  things  in 
natural  science,  this  theory,  originally  ad- 
vanced by  Richthofen  and  amplified  by  Moj- 
sisovics,  still  satisfies  the  conditions  of  the 
geological  problem.  Richthofen  based  his 
theory  upon  the  structure  and  composition  of 
the  Dolomites.  Coral  reefs  are  described  as 
being  built  up  by  insect  life,  with  a  perpen- 
dicular side,  like  a  wall,  turned  toward  the 
tide,  while  the  reefs  are  supported  on  the  other 
side  by  sloping  buttresses.  In  spite  of  ages  of 
exposure  and  disintegration,  almost  all  the 
Dolomites  still  show  traces  of  this  structure. 
Again,  marine  deposits  are  found  in  the  rock 
of  the  Dolomites,  occupying  the  same  relative 
positions  as  in  the  coral  reefs  now  in  process 
of  formation  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 

The  imagination  is  at  once  caught  by  this 
coral  reef  theory.  It  explains  much  of  what 
we  see,  and  implies  the  rest.  These  stupen- 
dous formations,  so  unlike  all  others  in  the 
Alps,  not  as  high  perhaps  as  the  highest,  but 
often  steeper,  and  generally  less  accessible, 
standing  alone  and  self-sufficient,  are  thus 
seen  to  be  silent  symbols  of  the  sea,  the  re- 
mains of  activity  carried  on  through  aeons  of 
time. 

280 


The  Dolomites 

The  name  of  Dolomites  is  popularly  given 
to  that  whole  group  of  mountains  which  lie 
in  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  Tyrol, 
bounded  by  the  Pusterthal  on  the  north,  the 
Etschthal  on  the  west,  and  extending  east  and 
south  into  Carinthia  and  Italy.  To  enclose 
the  Dolomites,  draw  a  line  from  Brixen  to 
Lienz,  thence  to  Belluno,  Trent,  and  back  to 
Brixen.  This  delineation  is  not  strictly  cor- 
rect, for  black  and  red  porphyry,  sandstone, 
mica  shist,  and  granite  are  found  within  this 
area,  but  the  delineation  is  excusable,  because 
the  most  remarkable  peaks  of  this  district  are 
really  composed  of  Dolomite.  Here  it  is  that 
we  have  among  others  the  Rosengarten  group, 
the  mountains  of  Groden,  the  Marmolata,  the 
Primiero  peaks,  those  of  Ampezzo  and  of 
Sexten,  and  the  spurs  that  run  down  toward 
the  great  Italian  plain. 

Tourists  may  be  trusted  to  suit  their  own 
convenience  in  making  a  choice  among  these 
groups.  Let  it  merely  be  mentioned  here  that 
a  main  road  leads  directly  through  from  To- 
blach  to  Pieve  di  Cadore,  and  thus  to  Venice. 
Then  Bruneck  and  Innichen,  Waidbruck, 
Altzwang,  Bozen,  Neumarkt,  Lavis,  and  even 
Trent,  all  stand  at  convenient  openings  into 
the  Dolomites.  On  the  Italian  side  there  are 

281 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

various  approaches  over  Bassano,  Feltre,  Bel- 
luno,  etc. 

The  Dolomites  derive  their  name  from  a 
French  scientist,  Dolomieu,  who  travelled  in 
the  Southern  Tyrol  during  1789  or  1790,  and 
first  called  attention  to  the  peculiar  magnesian 
limestone  of  which  they  are  composed.  He 
died  in  1802.  Thereafter,  an  occasional  sa- 
vant, like  Alexander  von  Humboldt,  pene- 
trated to  the  region  of  Predazzo,  known  as  a 
geologists'  paradise,  or  an  enthusiastic  artist 
to  Pieve  di  Cadore,  the  birthplace  of  Titian. 
But  it  was  reserved  for  the  English  to  lead  the 
way  for  the  modern  tourist  contingent.  In 
1864  appeared  "The  Dolomite  Mountains," 
by  Messrs.  Gilbert  and  Churchill,  and  in  1868 
Ball's  "  Guide  to  the  Eastern  Alps."  These 
books  stimulated  investigation,  and  "  Untrod- 
den Peaks  and  Unfrequented  Valleys,"  by 
Amelia  B.  Edwards,  issued  in  1873,  and  dedi- 
cated to  American  friends,  described  the 
charms  of  the  district  for  a  large  public. 
Since  then  a  little  more  has  been  written  about 
the  Dolomites  in  many  tongues,  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  geologist,  the  botanist,  the 
climber,  or  the  mere  sightseer. 

In  fact,  a  band  of  veritable  Dolomite  dev- 
otees has  arisen.  There  are  painters  who 

282 


The  Dolomites 

think  no  other  district  is  quite  as  beautiful. 
There  are  natural  scientists  who  make  their 
careers  by  the  study  of  its  fissures  and  strata, 
and  climbers  who  devote  all  their  vacations 
to  the  precipices  and  pinnacles.  The  latter 
are  essentially  rock-climbers.  They  wear 
climbing  shoes  peculiar  to  themselves.  They 
have  a  technical  vocabulary  of  their  own,  in 
order  that  they  may  the  better  describe  the 
characteristic  features  of  their  bold  work.  It 
is  a  pleasure  to  hear  their  enthusiastic  descrip- 
tions of  their  conquests  over  natural  obstacles, 
and  to  notice  their  appreciation  of  the  beauties 
of  the  great  pearl-gray  forms  that  rise  so 
grandly  above  the  turmoil  of  the  world  be- 
neath. 


283 


CHAPTER   XXX 

A   STRING  OF   PEARLS:   PRIMOLANO,    PRIMIERO, 
PANEVEGGIO,  PREDAZZO,  AND  PERRA 

ONE  of  the  entrances  into  the  Dolomites 
brings  the  visitor  to  a  trail  indicated  by  five 
names  beginning  with  the  letter  P:  Primo- 
lano,  Primiero,  Paneveggio,  Predazzo,  and 
Perra,  a  string  of  pearls  leading  into  an  Al- 
pine labyrinth. 

When  I  speak  of  Primolano  as  a  pearl,  I 
stretch  the  figure  of  speech  somewhat,  for 
Primolano  is  after  all  only  an  Italian  hamlet. 
But  taken  as  an  abstraction,  Primolano  is  still 
a  pearl  on  our  string,  because  in  the  retrospect 
it  becomes  a  stopping-place  on  the  way  to  a 
paradise  of  peaks. 

One  fine  day  I  descended  from  the  verdant 
table-land  of  the  Sette  Comuni  to  Valsugana, 
in  the  canonlike  Canale  di  Brenta.  The  path 
from  Asiago  passed  Buso,  and  then  continued 
down  a  veritable  ravine  called  Frenzela  to 
Valstagna.  My  Rucksack  was  heavier  than 

284 


A  String  of  Pearls 

usual  with  several  big  volumes  of  Abate  Mo- 
desto Bonato's  history  of  the  Sette  Comuni. 
The  path  crossed  the  torrent  continually,  ex- 
cept when  the  torrent  crossed  the  path,  which 
happened  very  often,  because  the  water  was 
unusually  high.  Indeed,  there  was  little  use 
in  making  a  pretence  of  walking  over  the 
stones,  and  it  was  simpler  to  walk  boldly 
through  the  water. 

At  Valstagna  there  is  an  enormous  gilded 
St.  Mark's  lion  on  a  tower,  a  symbol  of  Vene- 
tian days;  a  bridge  spans  the  Brenta  to  Car- 
pane,  where  the  posta  starts  for  Primolano. 

The  Canale  di  Brenta  is  one  of  the  most 
impressive  of  the  southern  approaches  to  the 
Alps.  Imagine  a  Norwegian  fiord  and  an 
American  canon  combined!  Surely  it  has  not 
its  superior  for  wild  beauty  in  the  whole  Dol- 
omite region.  From  Valstagna  to  Primolano 
it  is  particularly  narrow  and  frowning,  and 
is  enclosed  by  perpendicular  walls.  The  west- 
ern side  is  lined  with  tiny  green  patches  on 
terraces  that  are  little  more  than  steps  under 
cultivation.  Nowhere  is  this  terrace  culture 
reduced  to  such  straits,  nowhere  does  it  win 
ground  under  more  difficult  circumstances, 
or  perform  such  wonders  with  so  little  stand- 
ing room,  as  in  the  Canale  di  Brenta. 

285 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

The  posta  crossed  a  bridge  over  the  Cis- 
mone,  an  affluent  of  the  Brenta.  Up  in  the 
heights  the  white  church  and  a  few  houses  of 
Enego,  one  of  the  Sette  Comuni,  gleam  for  a 
moment.  Then  the  road  is  barred  by  the  fort 
of  Tombione,  completely  shutting  in  the  val- 
ley and  covering  the  road  with  an  arch.  A 
rocky  grotto  above  the  road,  accessible  only 
by  ladder,  was  once  the  stronghold  of  Covolo. 
It  has  been  known  as  a  fortress  since  the  sev- 
enth century,  and  was  only  abandoned  as  a 
stronghold  by  the  Emperor  Joseph  II.  in 

1783- 

From  the  pearl  Primolano  the  way  to  the 

pearl  Primiero  passes  through  the  astounding 
orrido  or  gorge  of  the  Cismone.  At  this  point 
the  road  is  now  cut  out  of  the  rocky  walls,  now 
supported  over  the  wild  torrent.  The  water 
below  wears  and  tears,  atom  by  atom,  inch 
by  inch,  foot  by  foot,  century  by  century.  At 
Monte  Croce  the  red,  white,  and  green  fron- 
tier post  of  Italy  meets  the  yellow  and  black 
one  of  Austria,  and  presently  there  breaks  into 
view  a  picture  which  calls  forth  expressions  of 
happy  enthusiasm,  —  Fiera  di  Primiero  lies 
before  us. 

The  valley  opens,  green  and  wide;  a  white 
town  lies  within  a  ring  of  mountains;  and  a 

286 


A  String  of  Pearls 

ruined  castle,  perched  on  a  crag,  fills  the  mid- 
dle distance  with  exquisite  effects.  We  have 
crawled  to  the  very  feet  of  the  Dolomites, 
whose  great  and  singular  charm  suddenly 
parts  our  lips  with  admiration.  Sass  Maor 
(Sasso  Maggiore),  the  Big  Rock,  Rosetta,  the 
Palle  di  San  Martino,  Cimon  della  Pala,  the 
highest  of  all,  and  the  others,  they  stand  be- 
fore us,  each  one  with  special  distinction  and 
character  in  form  and  colour.  The  Dolomites 
are  the  individualists  among  Alpine  peaks, 
for  they  are  not  bound  together  and  mar- 
shalled in  ranges  and  chains  like  their  brother 
peaks  farther  north. 

Fiera  is  the  capital  of  the  valley  of  Primi- 
ero.  Its  name  acts  as  a  reminiscence  of  the 
fairs  which  used  to  be  held  there  in  the  hey- 
day of  its  mining  prosperity.  The  iron,  silver, 
and  copper  mines  of  the  neighbourhood  were 
known  to  exist  as  long  ago  as  1300,  but  they 
are  now  exhausted.  In  1401  Duke  Leopold 
of  Austria  granted  the  jurisdiction  over  Pri- 
miero  to  a  Lord  of  Welsperg  for  the  sum  of 
four  thousand  florins  in  gold.  The  Castello 
della  Pietra,  it  is  said,  still  belongs  to  the  fam- 
ily. The  monster  rock  on  which  it  is  perched 
appears,  from  its  geological  formation,  to 


287 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

have  come  down  from  the  group  of  the  Pale 
on  the  back  of  a  glacier,  as  an  erratic  block. 

Miss  Amelia  B.  Edwards,  writing  in  1873 
in  her  "  Untrodden  Peaks  and  Unfrequented 
Valleys,"  says  of  this  Castle  of  the  Rock:  uThe 
solitary  tooth  of  rock  on  which  it  stands  has 
split  from  top  to  bottom  within  the  last  cen- 
tury, since  when  it  is  quite  inaccessible.  The 
present  owner,  when  a  young  man,  succeeded 
once,  and  only  once,  by  the  help  of  ropes,  lad- 
ders, and  workmen  from  Primiero,  in  climb- 
ing with  some  friends  to  the  height  of  those 
deserted  towers;  but  that  was  many  a  year 
ago,  and  since  then  the  owls  and  bats  have  gar- 
risoned them  undisturbed." 

The  English  explorers  of  the  Dolomites 
early  set  foot  in  the  glorious  valley  of  Primi- 
ero. Witness  the  name  of  the  mountain  Cima 
di  Ball  among  other  evidence.  Miss  Ed- 
wards especially  wrote  one  of  her  most 
charming  chapters  on  this  district.  In  the 
town  itself  she  detected  a  double  architectural 
character.  "  The  town  of  Primiero,"  she 
wrote,  "  lies  partly  in  the  plain,  and  partly 
climbs  the  hill  on  which  the  church  is  built. 
The  houses  in  the  flat  have  a  semi-Venetian 
character,  like  the  houses  of  Ceneda  and  Lon- 
garone.  The  houses  on  the  hill  are  of  the 

288 


THE    FEDAJA    PASS    IN    THE    DOLOMITES 


A  String  of  Pearls 

quaintest  German-Gothic  and  remind  one  of 
the  steep-roofed,  many-turreted  mediaeval 
buildings  in  Albrecht  Diirer's  backgrounds. 
This  curious  juxtaposition  of  dissimilar  archi- 
tectural styles  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that 
Primiero,  in  itself  more  purely  Italian  than 
either  Caprile  or  Agordo,  became  transferred 
to  Austria  and  partly  colonized  by  German 
operatives  about  the  latter  end  of  the  four- 
teenth century.  The  Tedeschi,  drafted  thither 
for  the  working  of  a  famous  silver  mine,  took 
root,  acquired  wealth,  built  the  church,  and 
left  their  impress  on  the  place,  just  as  the 
Romans  left  theirs  in  Gaul,  and  the  Greeks 
in  Sicily." 

These  German  operatives,  mentioned  by 
Miss  Edwards,  belong  to  the  same  class  of 
imported  German  Knappen,  called  Canopi 
by  the  Italians,  reference  to  whom  was  made 
in  describing  the  valleys  which  branch  out 
northward  from  the  Valsugana. 

The  way  from  Primiero  to  Paneveggio,  the 
next  pearl  on  our  string,  brings  us  to  the  nobly 
placed  summer  pastures  of  San  Martino  di 
Castrozza  and  to  the  Rolle  Pass. 

In  July  the  sun  at  San  Martino  di  Cas- 
trozza rises  over  the  Pala  di  San  Martino, 
and  thus  slowly  illumines  the  forests  and  pas- 

289 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

tures.  At  dawn  there  is  an  atmosphere  of 
rare  lights  and  tints.  The  giant  Dolomites 
stand  round  about,  sheer  above  the  green- 
black  pines,  wrapped  in  an  awe-inspiring  lu- 
minosity. Farther  south  the  uniform  gray 
Vette  di  Feltre  culminate  in  the  Pavione. 

As  we  mount  across  the  pastures,  to  cut  the 
zigzags  of  the  carriage  road,  the  Cimon  della 
Pala  grows  even  greater,  improving  on  ac- 
quaintance, as  really  great  personages  usually 
do.  When  we  reach  the  top  of  the  pass,  it 
becomes  the  dominant  peak.  Under  the  foot 
gentians  and  Alpine  roses  bloom  with  an  in- 
tensity of  colour  such  as  is  rarely  seen  else- 
where in  the  Alps.  The  little  star  gentians 
make  vivid  spots  of  Prussian  blue,  where  they 
gather  in  bunches  on  the  green  pasture.  Else- 
where, beside  the  more  widely  heralded  beau- 
ties of  the  gentians,  the  Alpine  roses,  and  the 
edelweiss,  the  flora  of  the  Alps  is  rich  in  the 
perfumed  pink  of  the  simple  mountain  carna- 
tions; white  flags,  soft  as  silk,  often  stand 
timidly  by  marshy  springs  or  damp  water 
courses,  and  flutter  sweetly  in  the  passing  air; 
great  yellow  anemones,  bold  and  brave  on 
rocky  uplands,  turn  to  flimsy  bunches  of  hair 
as  seed-time  draws  near;  exquisite  asters 
match  their  pale  lavender  petals  against  the 

290 


A  String  of  Pearls 

complementary  saffron  of  their  centres.  There 
is  the  little  button  of  cinnamon  red  that  smells 
like  vanilla;  and  the  very  grass,  aromatic 
with  thyme  and  sweet-smelling  herbs,  has  a 
sheen  and  shimmer  of  its  own  on  the  smooth 
mountainsides. 

From  the  cantoniera,  on  the  top  of  the 
Rolle  Pass,  the  road  dips  down  on  the  other 
side  through  a  beautiful  wood  to  Paneveggio, 
another  of  the  places  on  this  route  whose  name 
begins  with  a  P.  There  is  a  hospice  modern- 
ized into  a  hotel,  as  at  San  Martino  di  Cas- 
trozza,  a  cantoniera  for  the  forestry  officials, 
a  chapel,  a  dairy,  a  sawmill,  and  much  lum- 
ber. 

The  forests  around  Paneveggio  are  famous. 
They  belong  to  the  Austrian  Crown,  and  are 
said  to  yield  an  annual  income  of  some  one 
hundred  thousand  gulden.  The  tree-trunks 
are  much  prized  as  ship-masts,  and  are  sent 
even  as  far  as  Venice.  Certain  rare  plants 
grow  here,  among  others  the  Knautia  longi- 
foglia  Koch  and  the  Lonicera  nigra  and  cos- 
rule  a. 

Predazzo  is  the  next  pearl  on  my  string. 
It  is  perhaps  more  useful  and  curious  than 
beautiful,  for  it  is  given  over  to  sawmills, 
foundries,  and  quarries,  and  the  floor  of  the 

291 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

valley  shows  traces  of  frequent  inundations 
where  the  green  has  been  rubbed  off. 

For  all  that,  Predazzo  is  one  of  the  show 
places  of  the  world.  According  to  the  geolo- 
gists, it  is  built  nearly  in  the  centre  of  an  ex- 
tinct crater.  A  volcano  once  burst  open  the 
ground  hereabouts,  and,  after  breaking  the 
superimposed  Dolomite  crust,  poured  out  a 
lot  of  volcanic  rock,  lava-like,  on  top.  Some 
of  these  rocks  were  Syenite,  Tourmaline  gran- 
ite, and  Uralite  porphyry.  Finally  the  vol- 
cano ceased  to  belch  forth,  and  there  suc- 
ceeded the  era  of  those  great  movements 
which  made  the  Alps  what  they  are,  upheav- 
ing here  and  depressing  there,  until  moun- 
tains and  valleys  were  produced.  The  rains 
ran  down  the  slopes,  washed  and  cut  away 
the  sides  of  the  crater,  while  the  torrents  of 
the  Avisio  and  Travignolo  wore  their  way 
through  the  mountains,  scooped  out  the  cen- 
tre, and  laid  bare  a  cross-section  of  many  strata 
for  us  to  see  to-day. 

Predazzo  is  treasured  by  geologists  and 
mineralogists  as  a  sort  of  experimental  sta- 
tion, where  they  can  work  out  their  new  the- 
ories, or  lose  their  preconceived  notions.  It 
is  even  called  a  Key  to  Geology. 

In  1811  a  savant,  G.  B.  Brocchi,  first  called 
292 


A  String  of  Pearls 

attention  to  the  remarkable  condition  of  things 
geological  at  Predazzo  in  a  volume  entitled 
"  Memoria  Mineralogica  della  Valle  di 
Fassa."  In  the  strangers'  book  of  the  Hotel 
Nave  d'Oro  are  the  names  of  many  illustrious 
natural  scientists  who  have  visited  this  region. 
On  the  3Oth  of  September,  1822,  Von  Hum- 
boldt  arrived  there  on  his  way  to  the  Congress 
of  Verona,  executed  a  rapid  survey,  and  left 
the  same  day  for  Egna.  It  is  hard  to  pick 
among  the  names  without  doing  an  injustice 
to  conscientious  investigators,  but  those  of 
Necker  de  Saussure,  Richthofen,  Gilbert  and 
Churchill  and  Mojsisovics  appear  among  the 
more  familiar  ones. 

A  feature  of  historic  and  economic  interest 
near  Predazzo  is  the  so-called  Feudo,  or 
Monte  Feudale,  on  the  slopes  of  the  Latemar, 
a  grassy  hill  which  is  used  for  pasture,  and  is 
owned  in  common  by  the  male  descendants 
of  the  original  families  of  Predazzo.  In  the 
archives  of  the  village  of  Forno  there  is  a 
document  which  says  that  the  Feudo  was 
granted  to  the  men  of  Predazzo  by  a  Count 
Fuchs.  But  there  has  always  been  a  tradition 
in  Predazzo  that  the  grant  came  originally 
from  a  woman. 


293 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Now,  as  Margaretha  Maultasch  held  the 
valley  in  possession  from  1347  to  1359,  and 
had  a  Count  Fuchs  among  her  managers  dur- 
ing that  period,  document  and  tradition  can 
be  reconciled.  The  truth  would  appear  to  be 
that  Margaretha  Maultasch  executed  the 
grant  through  the  agency  of  a  Count  Fuchs. 

There  is  a  government  school  of  lace-mak- 
ing for  the  women,  and,  although  Predazzo 
owns  much  cattle  and  saws  much  wood,  never- 
theless, during  the  summer  season  most  of 
the  men  emigrate  to  find  work  in  foreign 
countries,  generally  as  stone-masons. 

Of  our  last  pearl,  Perra,  in  the  Fassa  Val- 
ley, I  hesitate  to  write -at  all  —  it  is  so  small 
and  trusting.  The  inn  there  is  so  startlingly 
picturesque,  that  some  syndicate  with  a  rov- 
ing commission  might  try  to  buy  it  for  an 
exhibition.  Imagine  a  house  on  the  green, 
which  has  backed  up  against  an  enormous 
rock,  like  a  hermit-crab  into  a  shell.  It  is 
hard  to  make  out  what  is  rock  and  what  is 
house.  As  though  that  were  not  enough  in  the 
way  of  picturesqueness,  the  entrance  to  the 
inn  is  an  arch  and  the  vestibule  a  vault. 
Massive  steps  of  stone  curve  up  to  a  hall, 
which  is  rough,  but  clean.  There  was  trout 


294 


A  String  of  Pearls 

for  supper,  straight  from  the  torrent  outside, 
and  the  next  morning,  the  bill  was  the  small- 
est I  could  remember  ever  having  paid  for 
a  night's  lodging. 


295 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

CORTINA   DI   AMPEZZO 

THE  Magnificent  Community  of  Ampezzo 
(Magnifica  Comunita  Ampezzo),  this  was 
the  resounding  title  conferred  upon  Cortina 
and  its  surroundings  by  the  Republic  of 
Venice  in  1421.  Although  Cortina  has  been 
Austrian  since  1511,  with  only  a  short  inter- 
mission from  1810  to  1813,  when  it  belonged 
to  Napoleon's  short-lived  Kingdom  of  Italy, 
yet  this  title  survives,  and  is  still  inscribed  on 
the  coat  of  arms  of  Cortina,  the  chief  village. 
It  is  amply  descriptive.  The  village  is  the 
nucleus  of  a  real  community,  which  owns  pas- 
tures and  forests  in  common,  and  derives  so 
large  a  revenue  from  them  that  it  has  the 
reputation  of  being  the  richest  community  in 
the  Tyrol. 

Cortina  is  doubly  magnificent,  by  reason 
both  of  its  wealth  and  also  of  its  situation. 
The  mention  of  its  name  recalls  a  white  spot 
in  a  vast  bowl  of  green.  A  campanile  shows 

296 


CORTINA    DI    AMPEZZO 


Cortina  Di  Ampezxo 

from  the  white,  and  the  warm  smell  of  haying- 
time  pervades  the  air.  Cortina  seems  to  be 
always  making  hay  while  the  sun  shines.  It  is 
a  progressive  place,  some  4,025  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  with  an  alpine  atmosphere 
tempered  by  the  nearness  of  Italy.  More- 
over, the  mountains  are  a  constant  inspira- 
tion: toward  the  northeast  the  Cristallo  group 
and  the  Pomagagnon;  toward  the  southeast 
the  Sorapis  and  the  Antelao,  and  around  from 
south  to  west,  the  Pelmo,  Rocchetta,  Becco 
di  Mezzodi,  Croda  di  Formin,  Nuvolau, 
Cinque  Torri,  Crepa,  and  Tofana.  The  four 
principal  outlets  from  the  Cortina  basin  are 
made  by  the  Ampezzo  road  north  to  Toblach, 
and  south  to  Cadore,  and  by  the  Tre  Croci 
Pass  to  the  east,  and  the  Tre  Sassi  Pass  to  the 
west.  Through  these  openings  the  winds 
sweep  freely  across  the  green. 

Cortina  has  a  main  street  which  widens 
somewhat  at  the  post-office  and  the  church. 
The  houses  are  large  and  white,  mostly  of 
stone  and  mortar,  for  Cortina  was  burned  to 
the  ground  by  the  French  in  1809,  and  the 
sunburnt,  wooden  cottages  tend  to  disappear. 

The  campanile  of  Cortina  may  be  con- 
sidered to  resemble  the  bell-tower  of  St. 
Mark's  in  Venice,  but  it  is  not  quite  as  high, 

297 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

the  top  being  only  256  feet  above  the 
street. 

The  people  of  Cortina  are  essentially  quiet 
and  steady  by  temperament. 

The  men  have  discarded  whatever  peculiar 
costume  they  may  have  worn,  but  the  women 
retain  theirs  to  a  great  extent.  They  wear 
little  black  felt  hats,  which  are  low  in  the 
crown,  and  have  two  long  ribbons  hanging 
down  the  back. 

Most  of  the  peasant  costumes  in  the  Alps, 
as  has  been  stated  elsewhere,  are  probably 
obsolete  fashions  which  once  obtained  in  the 
cities. 

The  people  of  Cortina  are  genuinely  inter- 
ested in  matters  of  art.  Witness  first  of  all 
the  frescoes  on  the  annex  of  the  hotel  Aquila 
Nera.  The  wall-spaces  above  the  first  floor 
are  covered  with  paintings  by  two  members 
of  the  Ghedina  family,  Guiseppe  and  Luigi, 
who  studied  in  Venice  and  Vienna.  On  the 
side  facing  the  street  and  the  hotel  itself,  we 
have  allegorical  groups.  One  represents  the 
Arts:  sculpture,  painting,  and  architecture; 
and  the  other  the  Physical  Sciences,  symbol- 
ized by  the  telegraph,  the  camera,  and  the 
steam-engine.  These  groups  are  flanked  by 
Mercury  and  Urania.  On  this  side,  also,  are 

298 


Cortina  Di  Ampezzo 

medallion  portraits  of  Rafael,  Durer,  and 
Titian. 

On  another  side  of  the  annex,  the  artist 
has  given  us  his  impression  of  human  life  in 
four  acts.  The  first  shows  us  children  sliding 
down-hill;  in  the  second,  a  young  man  is 
talking  to  a  young  woman  at  a  cottage  door; 
the  third  displays  a  domestic  interior,  con- 
taining father,  mother,  and  children;  and  the 
fourth  reveals  a  solitary  old  man,  sitting  on  a 
cottage  bench. 

Although  the  principal  wealth  of  the  Mag- 
nificent Community  of  Ampezzo  consists  in 
horses  and  cattle  and  timber,  the  artistic  sense 
of  the  people  has  been  turned  to  financial 
advantage  by  industrial  schools. 

The  valley  is  too  high  for  the  vine,  and  even 
our  American  corn  does  not  do  well  there,  so 
that  a  resort  to  home  industries  becomes 
necessary. 

There  is  an  industrial  school,  supported  by 
the  government,  where  metal  and  wood 
mosaic  is  made,  as  well  as  gold  and  silver 
filigree  work,  the  latter  resembling  the 
jewelry  of  Genoa.  By  the  help  of  these,  and 
allied  industries,  carried  on  in  the  houses, 
most  of  the  people  of  Cortina  are  able  to 
make  a  living  at  home,  and  emigration  to 

299 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

America  is  consequently  rarer  than  on  the 
Italian  side  of  the  frontier. 

But,  after  all,  and  year  by  year,  it  is  be- 
coming more  and  more  evident  that  Cortina 
has  discovered  her  real  source  of  income  in 
her  scenery,  and  has  instituted  a  very  practical 
use  for  the  beauty  of  the  mute  Dolomites. 
The  tourist  trade  already  brings  many  thou- 
sand visitors  every  year.  Cortina  is  one  of  the 
few  places  in  the  Tyrol  where  the  English  and 
Americans  bear  anything  like  a  reasonable 
proportion  to  the  Germans.  In  the  past,  the 
inhabitants  may  sometimes  have  asked  them- 
selves how  they  might  utilize  all  these  threat- 
ening towers.  Now  peak  and  peasant  have 
entered  into  partnership,  hotel  proprietors 
have  been  admitted  to  the  compact,  and  a 
multitude  of  travellers  from  all  points  of  the 
compass  annually  rejoice  at  the  result.  With 
grateful  hearts  they  return  to  their  homes  to 
sing  the  praises  of  Cortina  and  the  Magnifi- 
cent Community  of  Ampezzo. 


300 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

FROM    CORTINA   TO    PIEVE   DI    CADORE 

THE  drive  to  Cadore  is  over  a  road  as  hard 
as  cement,  and  as  white  as  snow.  Though  con- 
structed in  the  Alps,  it  is  as  smooth  as  the  best 
park  roads  in  the  plains. 

At  San  Vito,  the  Austrian  Stellwagen  is 
exchanged  for  an  Italian  messageria,  while 
we  wait  and  watch  the  clouds  drifting  around 
Antelao,  and  feeling  their  way  from  pinnacle 
to  pinnacle  of  that  dominant  peak.  A  girl 
with  a  red  kerchief  bound  around  her  head 
is  washing  bright-coloured  clothes  in  a  white 
gully.  The  sun  shines  so  brilliantly  on  the 
Dolomite  rock,  that  no  shadows  seem  able  to 
find  a  resting-place  there.  The  Boite  torrent 
runs  glass-green  over  the  stones  in  the  valley 
below. 

After  San  Vito,  the  Ampezzo  road  creeps 
from  under  the  shadow  of  Sorapis,  and 
comes  wholly  within  the  sphere  of  influence 
of  the  Antelao,  which  has  been  a  constant 

301 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

menace  to  the  valley  for  centuries.  Once  in 
awhile  some  fissure  on  high  has  widened  with 
the  frost,  or  some  tower  has  toppled  over, 
and  a  mass  of  crumbled  magnesian  limestone 
has  started  down  the  slope  in  a  white  flood  to 
desolate  and  overwhelm  what  was  below. 
Such  a  stream  of  stone  is  called  in  Italian  a 
boa,  and  corresponds  to  the  German  Muhr. 

Antelao  looks  kingly  in  its  solitary  gran- 
deur, a  snow-patch  for  a  crown,  and  a  row  of 
precipices  down  the  front  for  the  folds  of 
royal  robes.  It  is  said  that  once  in  awhile  it 
may  be  seen  even  from  Venice,  looking  trans- 
lucent and  opaline  on  the  horizon. 

The  impression  which  Pieve  di  Cadore 
makes,  when  approached  from  the  north,  is 
that  of  an  outpost  of  the  Alps  toward  the 
plains.  If  you  walk  through  the  village,  and 
emerge  on  the  southern  side,  you  look  off,  and 
another  world  lies  below,  the  warm,  Italian 
world  of  changing  colours.  Every  step  you 
take  in  that  direction  takes  you  away  from  the 
mountains  of  Alpine  serenity. 

Titian   (1477-1576} 

4 

The  village  of  Pieve  di  Cadore  centres 
around  Titian  even  to-day.  The  largest 

302 


From  Cortina  to  Pieve  Di  Cadore 

houses  gather  around  the  Piazza  Tiziano, 
there  is  a  Cafe  Tiziano,  a  Tipographia  Tiz- 
iano. His  family  name  of  Vecellio  is  fre- 
quently borne  by  the  Sindaco  (the  mayor), 
by  the  butcher,  the  baker,  the  grocer,  and  the 
shoemaker. 

The  statue  of  Titian  represents  him  with 
palette  and  brush  in  hand.  He  presents  a 
dignified,  long-bearded  figure,  clad  in  tunic 
and  trunks,  with  a  graceful  mantle  hanging 
from  his  shoulders.  The  statue  was  erected 
in  1880.  Antonio  dal  Zotto,  a  fellow  country- 
man of  Titian,  modelled  it;  the  brothers  De 
Poli,  the  famous  bell-makers  of  Ceneda,  cast 
it  in  bronze,  and  Giuseppe  Ghedina  of  Cor- 
tina designed  the  stone  pedestal. 

The  house  where  Titian  was  born  is  in  a 
corner  just  off  the  main  Piazza.  There  seems 
to  be  no  reason  to  question  the  authenticity 
of  this  house.  Titian's  family  were  not  ob- 
scure people,  but  important  inhabitants  of 
Pieve,  and  the  painter  himself  had  become 
famous  long  before  he  died.  A  mistake  could 
not  well  have  arisen.  The  house  itself  is 
small,  whitewashed,  and  flat-roofed,  showing 
its  great  age.  Some  of  the  windows  retain 
tiny  round  panes  set  in  lead,  but  otherwise 
there  is  nothing  remarkable  about  this  house. 

303 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

The  room  is  shown  where  he  was  born,  and 
another  where  he  painted,  when  he  was  at 
home. 

Still,  the  view  from  the  window  of  Titian's 
studio  is  valuable.  Rev.  Henry  Van  Dyke, 
after  his  visit,  wrote  of  this  outlook  in  his 
"  Little  Rivers :  "  "  Now,  for  the  first  time, 
I  could  understand  and  appreciate  the  land- 
scape backgrounds  of  his  pictures.  The  com- 
pact masses  of  mountains,  the  bold,  sharp 
forms,  the  hanging  rocks  of  cold  gray  emerg- 
ing from  green  slopes,  the  intense  blue  aerial 
distances  —  these  all  had  seemed  to  be  unreal 
and  imaginary  —  compositions  of  the  studio. 
But  now  I  knew  that,  whether  Titian  painted 
out-of-doors,  like  our  modern  impressionists, 
or  not,  he  certainly  painted  what  he  had  seen, 
and  painted  it  as  it  is." 

In  this  same  little  side  square  stands  the 
Palazzo  Sampiere,  which  belonged  to  Titian's 
grandfather. 

A  Museum  contains  Titian's  patent  of  no- 
bility with  his  armorial  bearings,  for  he  was 
created  count  by  the  German  emperor, 
Charles  V, 

The  story  of  Titian's  life  may  be  gathered 
from  any  encyclopaedia.  The  bare  facts 
which  concern  us  are  that  he  was  born  in 

304 


CLIMBERS    ON    THE    CINQUE    TORRI 


From  Cortina  to  Pieve  Di  Cadore 

Pieve  in  1477;  left  home  in  1486  to  study 
with  Zuccati  and  Bellini  in  Venice,  but  re- 
turned almost  every  summer  to  Cadore.  He 
died  in  Venice  in  1576,  aged  ninety-nine. 

The  Republic  of  Cadore 

The  mountaineers  of  Cadore  enjoyed  prac- 
tical self-government  for  eight  centuries,  from 
about  1000  to  1807,  when  Napoleon  repealed 
their  statutes.  They  were  first  connected  with 
Aquileia,  then  with  Venice,  but  during  that 
whole  period  they  never  surrendered  their 
local  rights. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Venice  made  friends 
easily.  As  with  the  mountaineers  of  the  Sette 
Comuni,  so  with  those  of  Cadore,  she  under- 
stood how  to  win  their  confidence,  and  to 
keep  their  good-will.  She  met  them  half- 
way, and  showed  them  respect. 

The  truth  is  that  there  were  strong  mutual 
interests.  The  mountaineers  stood  on  the 
northern  border,  and  were  a  bulwark  against 
the  German  Imperialists.  Their  forests  were 
full  of  masts  for  ships,  and  piles  upon  which 
to  build  the  houses  of  Venice.  Indeed,  the 
palaces  of  Venice  were  set  on  the  tops  of 
Cadore  trees.  Mr.  Robertson,  in  his  valuable 

305 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

work,  "  Through  the  Dolomites,"  has  well 
said:  "The  heart  of  Venice  is  of  Dolomite 
pine.  Kings  from  the  mountain  forests  thus 
sustain  the  throne  of  the  Queen  of  the  Adri- 
atic." In  those  days,  too,  there  were  many 
mines  of  precious  and  useful  metals  in  the 
mountains. 

On  the  other  hand,  Venice  offered  Cadore 
an  outlet  for  all  this  raw  material,  a  market 
that  was  in  touch  with  the  ends  of  the  then 
known  world.  She  supplied  Cadore  with 
grain,  and  her  alliance  practically  placed 
armies  and  navies  in  the  service  of  the  little 
republic. 

The  reciprocal  evidences  of  friendship 
were  many  and  substantial  throughout  the 
centuries,  but  greatest  of  all  was  this:  that 
the  stronger  republic  never  stretched  forth 
her  arm  to  conquer  the  weaker,  never  treated 
the  mountaineers  as  subjects,  but  preferred 
to  enlist  their  help  as  friends.  Therein  lay  the 
permanency  of  the  bond  between  Venice  and 
Cadore,  and  in  the  disregard  of  this,  where 
distant  lands  were  concerned,  lay  the  cause  of 
the  ultimate  decline  of  Venice.  C.  Lom- 
broso  has  expressed  this  thought  as  follows: 

"The  greatness  of  the  Venetian  States 
must  be  attributed  primarily  to  the  liberty 

306 


From  Cortina  to  Pieve  Di  Cadore 

they  enjoyed,  and  the  decline  of  their  liberty 
was  brought  about  chiefly  by  conquests  in 
distant  lands  —  conquests  entailing  tremen- 
dous expenses,  hateful  taxes,  enormous  arma- 
ments, and  the  surrender  of  the  supreme 
power  into  the  hands  of  men  who  ended  in 
tyrannizing  over  them,  and  in  completely 
suppressing  their  liberty." 


307 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

TO    CORVARA 

THE  Falzarego  road  climbs  westward  be- 
tween Tofana  and  Nuvolau  to  the  Pass  of 
Tra  i  Sassi.  This  last  name  exactly  suits  the 
scenery  of  the  pass.  The  road  winds  literally 
"  Among  the  Rocks,"  through  a  tract  of 
debris,  of  mountain  waste,  thrown  off  from 
the  Lagazuoi  and  the  Sasso  di  Stria  on  either 
hand.  Now  and  again  the  tinkle  of  goat-bells 
from  the  crags  above  give  a  sense  of  relief, 
but  for  the  most  part  there  is  the  oppression  of 
desolation,  the  melancholy  of  ruin  and  decay. 
Here  were  vast  masses  going  to  pieces,  Ti- 
tanic crumblings  loosened  from  above,  and 
heaped  in  grand  confusion  around  the  moun- 
tain bases. 

The  all-pervading  and  all-providing  Ger- 
man-Austrian Alpine  Club  has  marked  the 
path  over  the  Castello  Pass  (Valparola  Joch), 
down  grassy  slopes  and  through  woods  to  St. 
Cassian. 

308 


To  Corvara 

The  neighbourhood  of  St.  Cassian  is  rich 
in  fossils  and  petrifactions,  to  delight  the 
heart  of  a  natural  scientist.  The  Enneberg 
valley  is,  in  fact,  almost  as  interesting  to 
mineralogists  and  geologists  as  that  of  Fassa. 

Corvara,  farther  along,  has  an  hotel  full 
of  sketches  by  a  native  artist,  Franz  Rotta- 
nara.  The  paintings  are  on  the  stair  walls 
and  in  the  rooms.  I  liked  best  certain  outline 
sketches  of  local  types,  portraits  of  old  people, 
or  of  members  of  the  Rottanara  family. 

Although  the  names  hereabouts  sound 
Italian,  German  is  the  language  most  in 
use.  If  we  turn  southward,  however,  down 
the  Enneberg  valley,  we  shall  come  upon 
traces  of  Ladin,  a  survival  of  the  Roman 
occupation. 

It  may  be  stated  in  a  general  way  that,  at 
the  time  of  the  invasion  of  Teutonic  races,  the 
whole  of  the  Eastern  Alps  had  already  become 
Romanized.  The  conquest  of  German  over 
Latin  from  that  time  forward  was  by  no  means 
rapid.  We  know  that  Romance  dialects 
maintained  themselves  even  in  some  regions 
of  Northern  Tyrol  until  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury. To-day,  the  Ladin  dialects  of  the  Can- 
ton of  Graubimden  in  Switzerland,  and  of 
Groden,  Enneberg,  and  Livinalongo,  each 

3°9 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

distinct  from  the  others,  are  the  only  rem- 
nants of  a  once  widely  spread  language. 

These  dialects  are  not  merely  corrupt 
Italian;  they  are  separate  branches  of  the 
original  Latin  stock.  In  these  days  of  rapid 
communication,  they  are  making  way  for 
German  on  the  one  hand,  or  Italian  on  the 
other.  Their  isolation  being  broken,  they 
must  accommodate  themselves  to  their  sur- 
roundings. 

Turning  northward  from  Corvara  the  road 
leads  by  Colfosco  over  the  Grodenjoch  to  the 
Grodenthal. 

On  the  walls  of  the  inn  at  Colfosco  an 
artist  has  painted  the  legends  of  the  valley 
with  rapid  but  firm  strokes,  and  told  the  story 
underneath  in  native  Ladin. 


To  Toblach 

Northward  from  Cortina  the  Ampezzo 
road  soon  becomes  involved  in  forests  of  pro- 
found and  solemn  beauty,  above  which  the 
ethereal  peaks  and  bulwarks  of  the  Dolo- 
mites reach  into  the  sky.  The  road  only  grows 
whiter  by  contrast  with  the  trees,  while  the 
torrent  of  the  Boite  seems  greener  and  glass- 
ier, as  it  sings  to  itself  over  its  limestone  bed. 

310 


To  Corvara 

Now  and  again  a  boa  of  broken  stone  comes 
down  to  the  path,  on  either  hand.  Now  and 
then  a  view  opens  to  the  side,  and  there,  at 
the  end,  some  silent,  exalted  tower  stands, 
some  peak  called  a  ringer  or  a  horn,  some 
group  like  a  cathedral,  some  cyclopean  wall, 
with  cornices  where  small  glaciers  or  snow- 
slopes  have  lodged.  In  fact,  shapes  that  you 
may  construe  as  you  like,  and  schemes  of 
colour  from  which  you  may  pick  your  favour- 
ite shades,  have  backed  up  against  the  sky 
and  are  at  bay  to  right  and  left. 

As  it  advances,  the  road  becomes  gradu- 
ally Teutonic.  Botestagna  becomes  Peutel- 
stein.  The  rock  of  that  name  was  once 
crowned  by  a  castle,  which  was  held  succes- 
sively by  the  Republic  of  Cadore,  by  Venice, 
by  the  German  Imperialists,  and  the  Austri- 
ans.  It  fell  into  disuse  during  the  reign  of 
the  Emperor  Joseph  II.,  and  was  destroyed 
in  1867.  At  present  only  the  foundations  and 
parts  of  the  walls  are  standing. 

Ospitale  was  once  a  pilgrim  shelter,  an 
hospice,  as  its  name  indicates. 

At  Schluderbach  the  invisible  line  of  lan- 
guage has  been  crossed.  We  are  in  Deutsch- 
Tyrol  again,  in  the  land  of  entirely  neat  and 
appetizing  inns,  of  landlords,  who  once  and 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

again  speak  their  "  wunsch  <wohl  zu  speisen!  " 
as  the  soup  comes  on  the  table.  Welschland, 
with  its  undoubted  but  different  charms,  is 
behind  us.  Here  are  coziness  and  freshness, 
the  smell  of  new  paint^  and  the  appearance 
of  good  repair. 

Schluderbach  is  also  the  centre  of  much 
climbing  for  high  tourists,  and  of  many  pretty 
walks  for  mountain  amateurs. 

The  Ampezzo  road  continues  northward 
along  the  Durrensee,  this  lake  reflecting  the 
Monte  Cristallo  group  on  its  quiet  surface. 
There  is  not  always  enough  water  to  make  the 
picture  perfect,  especially  in  the  late  summer 
and  autumn,  when  the  tourist  travel  is  heavi- 
est, but  it  is  a  consolation  to  know  that  the 
spring  never  fails  to  fill  up  the  lake. 

At  Hohlenstein  (Italian  Landro),  the  val- 
ley of  the  Schwarze  Rienz  opens  to  the  right, 
admitting  a  view  of  the  Drei  Zinnen. 

In  all  the  range  of  the  Alps  it  would  be 
hard  to  find  a  gap  wjiich  reveals  so  much,  so 
suddenly.  We  look  through  a  dark  frame 
of  pines  upon  a  bare  world  of  rock.  Thus 
seen,  the  Drei  Zinnen  look  unapproachable 
and  intangible.  They  seem  to  display  more 
than  the  usual  exclusiveness  of  the  Dolomites, 
and  long  after  the  sun  has  left  Landro,  and 

312 


To  Corvara 

the  valley  is  dark,  the  Drei  Zinnen  continue 
to  glow  and  to  retreat  into  a  world  of  their 
own,  where  they  reflect  the  glory  of  some- 
thing we  cannot  see. 

And  so  through  uninhabited  stretches  of 
dark  forests,  springing  from  a  white  soil,  the 
great  Ampezzo  road  passes  by  the  lake  of 
Toblach,  and  finds  an  outlet  in  the  green 
Pusterthal.  Cadore  at  one  end,  Toblach  at 
the  other,  and  Cortina  in  the  middle!  The 
road  winds  its  long  arms  from  the  Latin  to  the 
Teuton.  It  proclaims  their  brotherhood,  and 
pleads  for  the  unity  of  the  human  race. 

Lake  Misurina — Tre  Croci  Pass 

Lake  Misurina  is  not  large,  but  it  reflects 
the  Drei  Zinnen  somewhat  as  the  Diirrensee 
does  the  Cristallo  group.  It  is  shallow,  and 
well  stocked  with  trout,  but  those  who  ought 
to  know,  say  that  the  fish  are  very  wary. 

The  road  passes  an  alp  with  a  large  herd 
of  cattle,  and  presently  plunges  once  more 
into  the  solemn  pines.  The  walk  from  Lake 
Misurina  to  the  Tre  Croci  Pass  is  like  a 
promenade  in  a  park.  Every  foot  of  ground 
seems  cared  for,  every  tree  nursed  to  maturity. 

The  Tre  Croci  Pass  is  a  depression  be- 
3*3 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

tween  Sorapis  and  Cristallo,  and  derives  its 
name  from  three  wooden  crosses.  A  cool 
breeze  generally  draws  through  the  depres- 
sion in  summer,  and  sighs  in  the  surrounding 
larch  woods.  Across  the  resplendent  plain,  in 
which  Cortina  lies  unseen,  wayward  shreds 
of  cloud  crawl  close,  to  the  precipices  of 
Tofana.  A  piece  of  snow-crowned  Marmo- 
lata  shows  between  the  Torre  di  Averau  and 
Nuvolau.  The  Cristallo  peaks  on  the  right 
stand  out  clear  and  clean-cut  against  the  sky. 

The  Valley  of  Silver  and  Gold 

The  Valbona  may  very  properly  be  called 
the  Valley  of  Silver  and  Gold  on  account  of 
the  names  Argentiera  (Latin  argentum,  sil- 
ver), .and  Auronzo  (Latin  aurum,  gold), 
which  occur  there. 

As  though  to  emphasize  the  metallic  char- 
acter of  this  valley,  the  big  road  down  into 
Valbona  is  called  the  Erzstrasse,  or  the 
Mineral  Road,  because  it  was  constructed  to 
serve  the  mines. 

As  the  Ampezzo  valley  offers  many  objects 
for  our  admiration,  so  the  Valbona  possesses 
only  a  few  intensely  beautiful  objects  to  hold 
our  attention.  Chief  among  these  are  the 

3H 


To  Corvara 

astounding  peaks,  the  truly  terrific  towers  that 
loom  up  in  a  circle  above  the  forests.  The 
forest  of  San  Marco  is  a  touch  of  Venice  in 
the  wilderness.  This  is  a  forest  of  larch-trees 
which  the  Republic  of  Cadore  presented  to 
its  ally  the  Republic  of  Venice  in  1463.  Ever 
since  then  the  San  Marco  trees  have  supplied 
timber  for  ship-building  at  Venice.  Beyond 
the  forest  of  San  Marco  the  Mineral  Road 
comes  out  upon  Miniera  Argentiera,  where 
mining  shafts  have  laid  bare  the  mountainside 
and  made  the  torrent  of  the  Ansiei  run  brown 
with  the  washing  of  the  ore.  There  are  great 
mounds,  slopes  and  terraces  of  reddish  earth. 
The  miners  swarm  into  the  shafts  and  the 
wooden  sheds.  The  whole  is  a  monster  ant- 
hill in  the  forest.  Although  the  name  Argen- 
tiera is  still  retained,  lead  and  zinc  only  are 
now  extracted,  but  the  remarkable  vitality  of 
this  mine  may  be  appreciated,  when  we  re- 
member that  it  was  already  famous  in  the 
tenth  century,  and  has  been  worked  at  inter- 
vals ever  since. 

The  range  of  the  Marmarole  on  the  right 
hand  becomes  more  and  more  dominant  as 
we  progress,  and  presently  we  reach  the  strag- 
gling series  of  villages  known  collectively  as 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

Auronzo,  "  the  golden  town,"  and  the  most 
populous  aggregation  in  Cadore. 

The  surrounding  mountains  are  on  a  vast 
scale,  high  and  rugged,  but  they  show  them- 
selves to  best  advantage  when  you  draw  away 
from  Auronzo  itself. 

Villa  Grande,  one  of  the  villages  of  the 
series,  seems  really  less  of  a  place  than  Villa 
Piccola. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  wooden  houses, 
which  have  survived  the  fires  of  late  years, 
are  interesting  to  a  degree.  They  represent  a 
bold  type  of  wood  and  stone  architecture 
which  is  exceedingly  effective.  The  wood  of 
the  superstructure  is  burned  a  rich  chocolate 
brown,  almost  black,  by  the  sun,  and  this 
forms  a  striking  contrast  to  the  white  mortar 
of  the  substructure.  The  truth  is  the  old 
Cadore  houses  show  the  influence  both  of 
Romance  and  Teutonic  conditions.  They 
stand  in  the  borderland.  They  partake  of 
mountain  and  plain,  of  forest  and  quarry. 
Wooden  balconies  and  wooden  shingles  sur- 
mount vaulted  Romanesque  doorways,  and 
in  the  interior  you  will  often  find  behind  the 
hearth  a  space  furnished  with  seats. 

The  costume  of  the  women  is  sober.  They 
wear  dark  dresses,  and  the  invariable  fazzo- 


To  Corvara 

letto,  or  kerchief,  is  of  dark  brown,  the  ends 
being  left  to  flap  at  the  side  or  back  of  the 
head.  Instead  of  heavy  mountain  shoes,  they 
wear  felt  slippers. 

Over  the  Monte  Croce  Pass 

From  Auronzo  there  is  a  drive  by  Gogna 
to  Tre  Ponte.  Here  is  to  be  seen  a  most  curi- 
ous as  well  as  graceful  piece  of  construction. 
Imagine  three  roads  meeting  in  a  triple 
bridge,  the  arches  resting  on  a  central  pier, 
and  the  whole  forming  three  obtuse  angles 
over  the  torrents  of  Ansiei,  Piave,  and  over  a 
dry  gorge.  This  position  has  always  had 
strong  strategic  capabilities,  and  there  was 
successful  fighting  here  by  the  natives  against 
Maximilian's  invaders  in  1508-09,  and 
against  the  Austrians  in  1866. 

The  Piave  valley  to  Pieve  di  Cadore  is 
rich  in  lights  and  shades,  and  full  of  a  ma- 
jestic, classic  quality,  but  a  wonderful  road 
turns  the  corner  and  goes  up-stream  to  San 
Stefano  through  a  gorge  which  deserves  to 
rank  with  the  Canale  di  Brenta  among  the 
wonders  of  the  Dolomites.  To  fitly  describe 
this  gorge  one  would  need  to  piece  together 
the  strongest  adjectives  that  denote  profun- 


The  Fair  Land  Tyrol 

dity  and  seclusion,  the  mountains  rise  so  sheer 
and  gray,  on  either  hand;  and  the  opening 
worn  by  the  Piave  is  so  narrow,  and  looks  so 
impenetrable.  Yet  the  Italians  have  built  a 
road  there,  that  winds  along  for  six  miles,  now 
crawling  close  to  the  cliffs,  and  now  piercing 
them  with  tunnels,  until  open  ground  is 
reached  shortly  before  San  Stefano. 

Looking  up  from  San  Stefano  one  can  see 
afar  off  and  high  up  a  row  of  houses  long- 
drawn  across  a  slope  of  more  than  usual  bril- 
liancy. When  the  afternoon  sun  throws  a 
glow  over  the  picture,  the  houses  at  this  dis- 
tance look  stately  and  very  white,  and  the 
place  well  deserves  its  name  of  Candide. 
From  Candide  San  Nicolo  and  San  Stefano 
are  seen  in  the  plain.  The  sombre  Dolomites 
are  contrasted  with  the  vivid  green  slopes. 
The  peasants  mount  homeward-bound  from 
their  work,  and  nature  is  soothed  and  re- 
freshed by  the  setting  sun. 

The  Monte  Croce  Pass  is  an  easy  affair, 
though  rather  long  and  tedious. 

The  way  to  Innichen  lies  through  the 
Sexten  valley  and  Moos.  The  Fischelein- 
thal  opens  on  the  left,  barred  by  forts,  and  the 
jagged  Drei  Schuster  Spitzen  throne  above. 

Then  presently  the  Pusterthal  looms  into 


To  Corvara 

view  and  Innichen  is  discovered  reposing 
quietly  on  the  edge  of  its  green  fields.  The 
railroad-track  reminds  us  that  we  are  once 
more  in  touch  with  the  world  of  the  lowlands, 
and  that  the  repose  of  the  Alps  must  now  be- 
come for  us  a  treasured  memory. 

It  will  be  a  happy  consummation  if  we  can 
feel  that  the  Crown  Land  Tyrol  has  benefited 
in  some  measure  by  our  visit,  even  if  but  a 
little;  that  our  admiration  and  appreciation 
of  beauty  and  goodness,  and  our  gratitude  for 
services  rendered  may  have  lightened  the 
burden  of  some  peasant  climbing  into  the 
heights,  strengthened  some  stooping  back  in 
the  fields  or  on  the  slopes,  rendered  the  house- 
hold work  of  the  women  happier  in  the  lonely 
huts,  the  play  of  the  children  freer,  and  the 
song  of  the  people  truer,  better,  and  sweeter. 

Thus  may  mountain,  stream,  and  valley 
receive  a  benison;  the  lakes  and  waterfalls 
rejoice  greatly,  and  the  very  glaciers  bristle 
less  threateningly  by  reason  of  the  melting  in- 
fluence of  kindliness  and  good  cheer. 

THE  END. 


319 


INDEX 


Abel,   Bernhard  and  Arnold, 

20. 

Absam,  57. 
Achensee,  66,  76-79. 
Adamello,  The,   175,  257. 
Adelbert,     Count     of    Tyrol, 

101. 
Adige    River     (Etsch),     168, 

249. 
Adige   Valley,   248,   249,   251, 

252. 

Adriatic,  222,  250. 
Aguntum,  97,  98. 
Ala,  249. 

Albrecht  III.,  Duke  of  Aus- 
tria, 150. 
Alle  Sarche,  253. 
Aim,  xii.,  xiii.,  68-75. 
Alpine     Club,     German     and 

Austrian,   13,  170,  223,  229, 

231,  232,  308. 
Alpine  climbing,  223-226. 
Alps,  vii.,  5,  8,  53-55. 
Ambras   Castle,  36-38,  40. 
Ampezzo  Valley,  107. 
Ampezzo  Road,  281,  297,  301. 
Andechs,    Counts   of,    u,   36, 

310-313- 

Anne  of  Brittany,  25. 
Ansiei  River,  315,  317. 
Antelao,  The,  297,  301-302. 
Aquila  Nera   (Cortina),  298. 
Aquileia,  97,  305. 
Architecture,    domestic,    xiv.- 

xv.,  316. 
Arco,  251,  253,  254, 


Argentiera,  315. 
Arlberg,  The,  45,  51. 
Arthur    of    England,    statue, 

16-17. 

Aryay,  R.  V.,  170. 
Asiago,    269,    270,    271,    273, 

276. 

Aspern,  Battle  of,  203. 
Assa,  Val  d',  265,  266. 
Auersperg,  Prince,  88. 
Augsburg,  40,  242. 
Augusta     Vindelicorum 

(Augsburg),  97. 
Austria,  5,  45,  51,  52,  99,  184, 

191,  201,  203,  204,  206,  207, 

208,  214,  239,  243,  257,  263, 

265,  286,  296. 
Auronzo,  316,  317. 
Ausuganea,  256. 
Avisio  River,  292. 

Ball,  282;    Cima  di,  288. 
Barlow,  Henry  Clark,  248. 
Bsssano,  265,  282. 
Bavarians,  7,  201,  202,  208. 
Beck,  Leonhard,  30-31. 
Becco  di  Mezzodi,  The,  297. 
Belluno,  265,  282. 
Beru,  3,  273. 
Bezau,  47,  48,  49. 
Bianca,  Maria  Sforza,  10,  18, 

26. 
Biener,    Chancellor    Wilhelm, 


Big  Rock,  The,  287. 
Bisson,  General,  214. 


321 


Index 


Black  Sea,  222. 

Blumau,   169. 

Boeheim,  Wendelin,  39. 

Boite  River,   301,  310. 

Bona,  Val,  314-317. 

Bonato,  272,  285. 

Borgo,  256,  262. 

Bormio   (Worms),  233-235. 

Botestagna  (Peutelstein),  311. 

Bozen,  157-166. 

Bregenz,  46. 

Bregenzerwald,  47. 

Brenner   Route,   5,  33,  89-93, 

98,  143,  159,  187,  264-265. 
Brenta  River,  250,  284-285. 
Bretterwand,  The,  in. 
Brixen,  Bishops  of,  190. 
Brixlegg,  65,  66. 
Brocchi,  G.   B.,  292,  293. 
Broussier,   General,    104-105. 
Bruneck,   100-103. 
Buco  di  Vela,  253. 
Buon   Consiglio,   Castello   del 

(Trent),  239. 
Burgkmair,  Hans,  30. 
Buxton,  H.  E.,  227,  232. 

Cadore,  275,  301-307,   315- 

Caldonazzo,  Lake,  250,  260. 

Galliano,  Battle  of,  240. 

Candide,  318. 

Canopi  (Knappen),  258-259, 
289. 

Carinthia,  97,  109. 

Carson,  F.  EL,  170. 

Cassian,  St.,  308-309. 

Castelbarco,  Guglielmo,  248; 
Counts  of,  251. 

Castelbell    (Castle),    218. 

Castello  Pass  (Valparola 
Joch),  308. 

Caxton,  William,  180. 

Celtic,  141. 

Charlemagne,  218. 

Charles,  Archduke  of  Aus- 
tria, 198,  203. 

Charles  the  Bold,  of  Bur- 
gundy, 18,  22,  28. 


Charles  VIII.  of  France,  25, 
26,  27. 

Charles  V.,  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many, 244,  304. 

Christina,  St.,  141. 

Churburg  Castle,  220. 

Cimbro  Dialect,  265-266,  269, 
271-274. 

Cimon  della  Pala,  The,  287, 
290. 

Cinque  Torri,  The,  297. 

Cismone  River,  286. 

Civezzano,  257. 

Coburg,  Duke  of,  77. 

Colfosco,  310. 

Colin,  Alexandre,  20. 

Conrad  II.,  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many, 256. 

Cortina  di  Ampezzo,  29,  296- 
300,  310,  314. 

Corvara,  308-310. 

Costume,  vi.,  vii.,  5,  6,  84- 
85,  no,  165,  191-196,  298, 

316-317. 
Council   of  Trent,   The,  243- 

246. 

Counter  Reformation,  245. 
Coursen,    Charlotte    H.,    147- 

149. 

Crepa,  The,  297. 
Cristallo     group,     297,     312, 

313,  314;    Monte,   107,   171. 
Croda  di  Formin,  The,  297. 

Dante  in  the  Trentino,  247- 
255;  statue,  240,  247. 

Danube,  45,  56. 

Defregger,    12-13,    113-127. 

Delagothurm,  170. 

Democracy,  48. 

Dodici  range,  261,  265. 

Dolomieu,  282. 

Dolomites,  107,  109,  140,  142, 
143,  170,  264,  265,  278-283, 
287,  290,  296,  310. 

Dorcher,  220. 

Dornauberg-Klamm,  86. 

Doss  Trento,  242. 


322 


Index 


Drama,  popular,  Brixlegg,  66; 

Meran,  188-189,  197. 
Drau  River,  106. 
Dreischusterspitze,  109,  235. 
Dreisprachenspitze,    109,   235. 
Drei  Zinnen,  312-313. 
Dro,  254. 

Diirer,  Albrecht,  22,  30-31. 
Diirrensee,  171,  312,  313. 

Eben,  78. 

Edwards,  Amelia  B.,  134,  282, 

288. 

Eggenthal,  169. 
Eisack  River,  158. 
Eisack  Valley,  129. 
Eleonora    of    Scotland,     187- 

188. 

Engadine,  51. 
Enneberg  Valley,  309. 
Eppan  Castle,  174. 
Etruscan,  141,  191. 
Etsch,  League  on  the,  152. 
Etsch    River     (Adige),     158, 

218. 
Etsch  Valley,  158,  222. 

Fallmerayer,   129-133. 

Falzarego  Road,  308. 

Fassa,  Val,  171,  292,  294. 

Feldkirch,  51. 

Feltre,  282.  . 

Ferdinand  of  Aragon,  19,  25, 

27.  _ 

Ferdinand,   Archduke,  40. 
Ferdinand     Karl,     Archduke, 

40,  •  58. 
Ferdinandeum         Museum 

(Innsbruck),  5,  II,  39. 
Fersina  River,  257. 
Fiera  di  Primiero,  286,  287. 
Fierozzo,  Val  (dei  Mocheni), 

259,  260. 

Finstermunz,  52,  159. 
Fischburg  Castle,  142. 
Fischeleinboden,  109. 
Fischeleinthal,  318. 
Floitenthal,  88. 


Fohn,  89-90. 

Fornace,  259. 

Francis  I.,  Emperor  of  Aus- 
tria, 64. 

Francis  L,  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many, 6. 

Francis  Joseph,  Emperor  of 
Austria,  34. 

Frankfort  National  Assem- 
bly, 132-133- 

Franks,  256. 

Franzensfeste,  98. 

Frau  Hitt,  5. 

Frederick  IV.,  King  of  Den- 
mark and  Norway,  271. 

Frederick  II.,  Emperor  of 
Germany,  146. 

Frederick  III.,  Emperor  of 
Germany,  19,  24. 

Frederick  "With  the  Empty 
Pockets,"' 9,  n,  19,  183,  187. 

French,  7,  99-100,  104,  105, 
202,  206,  208,  210-216,  257, 
297. 

Frescoes  of  Runkelstein  Cas- 
tle, 178-185. 

Fugen,  81. 

Gaisstein,  71. 

Game,  xi. 

Garda,     Lake,    251-252,    253, 

254- 

Geislerspitzen,  140. 
Georgenberg,  St.,  65. 
Gerlos,  85. 

German  Empire,  190,  218. 
German    language,    309,    310, 

3H-3I2. 

Germany,  5,  52. 
Ghedina,   Giuseppe,  303. 
Gilbert  and  Churchill,  282. 
Gilm,  Hermann  von,  7,   102- 

104. 

Ginzling,  86-88. 
Glurns,  221. 
Gnadenwald,  61. 
Godl,  Stephan,  20. 
Gogna,  317. 


3*3 


Index 


Golden  Roof  (Innsbruck),  9- 

10. 

Gomagoi,  228,  232-233. 
Gossensass,  90. 
Goths,  256. 
Gottfried      von      Strassburg, 

147,  178. 

Greifenstein  Castle,  174. 
Gries,  172. 

Groden  Valley,  134-142,  144. 
Grohmann,  Baillie,  66. 
Gross   G 1  o  c  k  n  e  r ,   70,   no, 

230. 

Gross  Venediger,  70,  no. 
Gsieserthal,  105. 
Guntschnaberg,  167. 

Habsburg,  18,  21,  29,  46,  47, 

151,  152,  191. 
Hafelekar,  5. 
Hall,  55- 
Haspinger,   Joachim,   105-106, 

198,  204,  209. 
Henry  VIII.  of  England,  27- 

28. 
Herzog    Friedrichstrasse 

(Innsbruck),   8. 
Hilliers,  Baron  d',  211,  212. 
Hitt,  Miss,  227. 
Hofburg  (Innsbruck),  n,  37. 
Hofer,    Andreas,    tomb,    15; 

statue,  33-34,    197-216. 
Hofkirche    (Innsbruck),    4-5, 

15-20;    tablets,  22-29;    Sil- 
ver Chapel,  44. 
Hohenschwangau  Castle,  152. 
Hohe  Salve,  70. 
Hohlenstein    (Landro),   312. 
Hollauer,  33. 
Huard,  213. 
Humboldt,     Alexander     von, 

282,  293. 
Hungary,  25,  28. 

Imst,  52. 

Inn  River,  3,  5,  52,  53,  56. 
Inn  Valley,  4,  33,   53-55,   70, 
79,  222. 


Innichen,  97,  98,  108-109,  318, 

319.. 

Inns,  ix.,  x. 
Innsbruck,  3-14,  201,  202,  203, 

204,  205,  206. 
Interlaken,  3. 
Isel,    Berg,    4,    13-14,    33-34, 

202-203,  206. 
Iselthal,  in. 

Italian  language,  243,  260,  310. 
Italians,  257. 
Italy,  233,  263,  264,  301. 

James  I.  of  Scotland,  187. 
Jaufen    Pass,    200,    201,    209, 

211. 

Jenbach,  65. 
Jenesien,  164,  173. 
Johann,  St.,  in  Tyrol,  74. 
John,    Archduke    of    Austria, 

198,  203,  208,  209. 
Joubert,  General,  99. 
Juval  Castle,  218. 

Kaisergebirge,  4,  70. 
Kardaun,  169. 
Karersee,  171. 
Karneid  Castle,  174. 
Kaufmann,  Angelika,  48-50. 
Kitzbiihel,  68,  70. 
Kitzbiihelhorn,  68,  71. 
Klausen,  144. 
Klotz,  60. 

Konigspitze,  The,  228,  232. 
Kreuzberg  Pass,  109. 
Kropfsberg  Castle,  66. 
Kiichelberg,  The,  189;    Battle 

of,  210. 
Kuf stein,  4,  66-67,  202. 

Laas,  219. 
Laaserthal,  219. 
Ladin,  141,  309-310. 
Lagarina,  Val,  248. 
Lagazuoi,  The,  308. 
Landeck,  50. 

Landesfiirstliche    Burg    (Me- 
ran),  187. 


3*4 


Index 


Landhaus    (Innsbruck),    7. 

Landro    (Hohlenstein),   312. 

Landtag,  7,  45. 

Langenthal,   142. 

Langkofel,  135,  140,  142. 

Latemar,  The,  174,  293. 

Latin,  141,   175,  229,  309. 

Latsch,  218. 

Lebenbacher,  Friedrich,  185. 

Lefebre,  Marshal,  202,  203, 
204,  205. 

Lendenstreich,  Hans,  19. 

Lengmoos,  173. 

Leonhard,  St.,  211. 

Leopold,  Archduke,  6. 

Leopold  III.,  Duke  of  Aus- 
tria, 19. 

Levico,  261,  266. 

Levico,  Lake,  250. 

Leuthold  von   Saben,   144. 

Lichtenberg  Castle,  221. 

Lichtwer  Castle,  66. 

Liechtenstein,  45,  50-51. 

Lienz,  vii.,  109-110. 

Lizzana   Castle,   248-249,  251. 

Lombardy,  230. 

Lombroso,  306-307. 

Longpbards,  256. 

Loppio  Pass,  251,  253,  254. 

Lorenz,  Dr.  H.,  170. 

Louis  XL  of  France,  22,  25, 
26. 

Luzern,  3. 

Maierhofen,  80,  86. 

Malory,  Sir  Thomas,  178,  180. 

Mais,  221. 

Malserheide,  221. 

Mantua,  214,  215. 

Margaret  of  Austria,   18,  26, 

27. 
Maria      Maggiore,      Santa 

(Trent),  239,  245. 
Maria  Theresa,  6,  n. 
Maria  Theresienstrasse,  4, 6, 7. 
Marmarole  range,  315. 
Marmolate,  The,  314. 
Martellthal,  218. 


Martin,  St.,  200,  215. 
Martino,    San,    di    Castrozzo, 

289,  291. 

Martinswand,  32. 
Mary  of  Burgundy,  19,  22-24. 
Matzen  Castle,  66. 
Maulbertsch,  n. 
Maultasch,    Margaretha,    184, 

294. 

Maurice  of  Saxony,  244. 
Max,    King    of    Bavaria,    62, 

64. 
Maximilian    I.,    Emperor    of 

Germany,   9-10;    tomb,    15- 

20;    life,  21-31. 
Melegg,  Battle   of,  62. 
Menador  di  Levico,  265. 
Mendel   Pass,   174. 
Meran,  vi.,  186-196,  210,  211, 

217. 

Milan,  257. 
Misurina,  Lake,  313. 
Mittelgebirge,  4,  61. 
Mittersill,  69. 
Mittewald,  205. 
Mocheni,  Val  dei  (Fierozzo), 

259-260. 
Mojsisovics,     Edmund     von, 

227,  228,  280. 
Montan,  Castles  of  Ober  and 

Unter,  218. 
Monte  Croce  Pass,  286,  317, 

318. 

Moos,  318. 
Mori,  251,  254. 
Muhlau,  20. 
Munzerthurm   (Hall),  56. 

Nago,  251,  253. 

Napoleon    I.,    197,    202,    203, 

208,  210,  214,  296,  305. 
Natter,  Heinrich,  33,  162-163. 
Naturns,  218. 
Neruda,  Norman,  170. 
Neu  Spondinig,  220. 
Nicolo,  San,  318. 
Nibelungenlied,  218-219. 
Nuvolau,  The,  297,  308,  314. 


325 


Index 


Ortler,  220,  227-233. 

Ospitale,  311. 

Ottoburg   (Innsbruck,  u. 

Palle    di    San    Martino,    287, 

289. 

Paneveggio,  289,  291. 
Paris,  5. 

Passeier  Valley,  200,  201. 
Passer  River,  200. 
Passion  Play  (Brixlegg),  66. 
Patscher,   Kofel,   The,  4. 
Pavione,  The,  290. 
Payer,   Julius   von,  227,   228, 

229. 

Payerhiitte,  228-229. 
Pelmo,  The,  297. 
Pergine,  258-261. 
Perra,  294-295. 
Pertisan,  77. 

Peutelstein  (Botestagna),3ii. 
Pflerschthal,  90. 
Philip  I.  of  Spain,  18,  27. 
Philippine   Welser,  39-44. 
Phillmore,  J.  S.,  170. 
Piave  River,  250,  317-318. 
Pichler,  Joseph,  227,  234. 
Pietra,  Castello  della,  287-288. 
Pietra  Murata,  253. 
Pieve    di    Cadore,    281,    282, 

302-305,  317. 
Pine,  Val,  259. 
Pinzgauer    Promenade,    71. 
Plattkofel,  The,   140. 
Poli,  De,  303- 
Pomagognon,  The,  297. 
Prad,  228,  233,  234. 
Predazzo,  282,  291-294. 
Predis,  Ambrose  de,  22,  26. 
Presanella,  The,  175. 
Primiero,  286-289. 
Primolano,  263,  284-286. 
Puflatsch,  The,  140. 
Pusterthal,  97-110,  313,  318. 


Raetians,    90,    141,    143,    217, 

218,  221. 
Rattenberg,  66. 


Raynor,  G.  S.,  170. 

Reding,  Ital,  46. 

Reschen   Scheideck,  221-222. 

Reynolds,   Sir  Joshua,  49. 

Rhine,  45,  51. 

Richthofen,  280. 

Rienz  River,  102,  106. 

Rinn,  61. 

Rio  River,  261. 

Ritten,  The,  173. 

Rochetta,  The,  297. 

Robertson,  305-306. 

Rolle  Pass,  289,  291. 

Romance      Languages,      141, 

309-310. 
Romans,  90,  97,  160,  173,  190, 

218,  221,  242,  256. 
Rome,  5,  36. 
Rosa,  Monte,  230. 
Rosengarten,   158,   167-172. 
Rosetta,  The,  287. 
Rosszahne,  The,  140. 
Rovereto,  249. 
Rumer  Spitze,  5. 
Runkelstein  Castle,   174,   177- 

185. 

Saalfelden,  69. 
Saben,  129. 
Salzburg,  3,  69,  71. 
Salzkammergut,  vii. 
Sandwirth,  200. 
Sangerkrieg,  146. 
Sanseverino,  Roberto  da,  240. 
Sarca,  Val,  253-255. 
Sass      Maor,      The      (Sasso 

Maggiore),  287. 
Sasso  di  Stria,  The,  308. 
Scaliger,    Bartolomeo,    248. 
Scalza,  Ludovico,  19. 
Schaubachhiitte,  232. 
Schlanders,  219. 
Schlern,  140,  169. 
Schluderbach,    311-312. 
Schluderns,  220-221. 
Schmittenhohe,   71. 
Schnalserthal,  218. 
Scholastika  Inn,  78. 


326 


Index 


Schwarze  Rienz  River,  312. 
Schwatz,  65. 
Seehof,  78. 
Seespitz,  76-77,  78. 
Seiser  Alp,  139,  140,  266. 
Sentlinger,  Heinz,  182. 
Series     Spitze,     The     (Wal- 

drast),  4. 

Sesselschreiber,    Gilg,   20. 
Sette     C  o  m  u  n  i ,     264  -  277, 

284. 

Sextenthal,  109,  318. 
Sigismund,      Archduke,      18, 

187,  240. 
Sigmaier,       Peter       (Tharer 

Wirth),  104-105. 
Sigmundskron,  174. 
Sill  Valley,  35- 
Slavs,  97,  98. 

Sorapis,  The,  297,  301,  314. 
Spanish       Succession,       War 

of,   7. 
Speckbacher,    Joseph,    61-65, 

198,  204. 

Speech    (German),    vii.-ix. 
Spinges,  99-100. 
Staben,  218. 
Stabius,  30. 
Stainer,  Jacob,  57-61. 
Statthalter,  45. 
Stefano,  San,  317,  318. 
Steinhovel,  Meister,  188. 
Stelvio    Pass,    159,    220,    230, 

233-235. 

Sterzing,  91-93,  201. 
Steub,    Dr.    Ludwig,    62,    64, 

99. 

Stilfs    (Stelvio),  234. 
Strass,  80. 
Strigno,  263. 
Strigel,  Bernhard,  22. 
Stubai  Valley,  33,  90. 
Styria,  97. 

Sugana,   Val,   256-263,   284. 
Sulden,  228,  229,  231-233. 
Swiss    Confederation,    19,   22, 

28,  29,  45-47,  269. 
Switzerland,  xii,  xv.,  51. 


Tabarettawande,   228,   231. 

Talfer  River,  158,  177. 

Tartsch,  221. 

Tassilo,  Duke,  98. 

Tauern,  70,  112. 

Taufererthal,  101. 

Tellina,  Val,  235. 

Telvana  Castle,  262. 

Terriolis,  190. 

Tesino,    Val,    263. 

Teuton    survival,   264-277. 

Tezze,  256,  263. 

Tharer  Wirth  (Peter  Sig- 
maier), 104,  105. 

Theodoric,  King  of  the 
Goths,  statue,  17. 

Thurn  and  Taxis,  7. 

Tiers,  169. 

Titian,  282,  302-305. 

Toblach,  106-108,  281,  310- 
313;  Lake,  313. 

Tofana,  The,  297,  308,  314. 

Tombione,  286. 

Torbole,  251,  254,  255. 

Torre  di  Averau,  314. 

Trafoi,  228,  229,  230,  234. 

Trapp,  Counts  of,  220. 

Tra  i  Sassi  Pass,  308. 

Tratzberg,  65. 

Travignolo  River,  292. 

Tre  Croci  Pass,  297,  313-314. 

Tredici  Comuni,  264. 

Tre  Ponte,  317. 

Tre  Sassi  Pass,  297. 

Trent,  239-246,  253,  254,  256, 
257;  Bishops  of,  165,  190, 
242,  256;  Council  of,  243- 
246. 

Trentino  and  Dante,  247-255. 

Trostburg  Castle,   134,   150. 

Tucker,  C.  C.,  170. 

Tuckett,  F.  H.,  227,  228,  232. 

Tuckettspitze,  The,  227. 

Tummelplatz,  35. 

Tyrol,  Castle  of,  174,  189-191, 
210;  Counts  of,  36,  37,  65, 
187,  190,  257 ;  Crown  Land, 
xv.,  319. 


327 


Index 


Ulrich,  St.,  134,  135. 

Vajolett  Valley,  170-172. 
Valentine,  St.,  221. 
Valparola      Joch       (Castello 

Pass),  308. 
Valstagna,  284,  285. 
Van   Dyke,    Dr.    Henry,    no, 

304. 
Venice,    256,    257,    270,    275- 

276,  281,  296,  302,  305-307, 

315. 

Venosti,  217. 

Verona,  248,  257,  264,  273. 
Vette   di   Feltre,   The,   290. 
Vezzena,  265. 
Vincentin,  Vicenzo,  245. 
Vicenza,  264. 
Viecht  Abbey,  77,  78. 
Vienna,   5,   25;     Congress 

of,  64,  97;    Peace  of,  208- 

209. 
Vints^au,    159,    186,    217-222, 

228,  230,  233. 
Vintage,  175-176. 
Vintler,  Nicholas  and  Franz, 

181 ;    Hans,  182. 
Virgil,  241. 
Vischer,  Peter,  17. 
Vito,  San,  301. 
Vogelweide,  Walther  von  der, 

143-150;    statue,  162. 
Vorarlberg,  45. 


Wagram,  Battle  of,  203. 
Waidbruck,   134,   143,   169. 
W  a  1  d  r  a  s  t      Spitze,      The 

(Series),  4. 

Wanga,  Lords  of,  181. 
Weber,  Beda,  218-219. 
Weiherburg  Castle,  32. 
Weisse  Knott,  234. 
Weisslahn  Bad,  169. 
Welschland,  312. 
Welsperg,  Lords  of,  287. 
Windisch-Matrei,     no,     m- 

112. 

Winklerthurm,  170. 
Wolf,  Carl,  189. 
Wolkenstein,  Counts  of,  142; 

Oswald   von,    150-153. 
Worgl,  66. 

Worms    (Bormio),  235. 
Wrede,  General,  202. 

Zaniboni,  Eugenic,  248,  252. 
Zebru,  The,  228. 
Zell  am  See,  69. 
Zell  am  Ziller,  83-85. 
Zemmthal,  86. 
Zernale,  Bernardo,  22. 
Zillerthal,  vii.,  66,  70,  80-86. 
Zingerle,     Professor    I  g  n  a  z 

von,  62,  144. 
Zotto,  Antonio  dal,  303. 
Zurich,  3. 
Zwolfmalgreien,    172-173. 


328 


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